§ 

-f 

-  i? 

From  the  Rev.  W.  B.  SPRAGUE,  D.D.  Sept.  1839.  ^ 


LIBRARY 

JSheological  ^cminavy, 

PRINCETON.  N.^L 

TvT  r'  Division 

No.  Case, - 

No.  Shelf,  ii@G Li ^ 

No.  Book, - • 

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 


Sprague  Collection .  Vol .  T" 


' 


* 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/doctrineofabsoluOOzanc_O 


I 


it  O  \  ti.  \“Y\  t>  Am.  t 

T  H  J 


O  C  T  R  I  N  E 

O  F 

Abfolute  Predestination 

STATED  and  ASSERTED: 

•  ^  2  •  "o 

W  I  T  H 

A  PRELIMINARY  DISCOURSE 


On  the  DIVINE  ATTRIBUTES* 

TRANSLATED,  IN  GREAT  MEASURE, 

From  the  Latin  of  JEROM  ZANCHIUS.. 


By  AUGUSTUS  TOPLADY,  A.  B. 

Vi  car  of  Broad  Hemeury,  Devon  ;  and  Chap¬ 
lain  to  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Holland. 

S^uam’vis  ad  infimac  Cavtas  Plaujum  facile  ambiant  \Jn\- 
verfalis  Gratiae  AJJer tores  ;  et  ex  Ambon e ,  hoc  Argu- 
mentum  multis  Phaleris  fplendide  adornari  pnjjlt  ;  tamen , 
nil  pcnitius  excnt’tur ,  Argutiae  omnes  evanefcunt ,  el 
afcendcndum ,  tandem ,  ad  Deum  difcrimlnantem ,  acterno 
Dccrcto  fub ,  Hominem  ab  Homine  :  qno ,  z'«  aliquibus , 
Gratiae  /«<?(’ ;  in  aids,  Justitiae  fuae  ;  in  atrip, 
qne,  Gloriae  fuae  polupoikiles,  exfiet  Documentum . 

Spanhem.  Syntagm.  Difp.  P.  236. 


N  E  IF  -  r  o  R  K: 
Printed  by  HODGE  and  S  HO  B  E  II, 
For.  SAMUEL  LOUDON,  on  Hunter’s  Key, 


M.D  CC.L  XXI II 


/ 


.  V 


f 

V 


^  -2  yp  H  E  N  I  confider  the  ab  folu’te  indepen- 

A  -^.'oooas. ■{§}*•»  Jency  of  GOD,  and  the  necefiary,  to- 
|s?  1  w  I  ta^  dependence  of  all  created  things  on 
X  X  ^  Him  their  firft  caufe ;  I  cannot  help 
t  v  Handing  aftoniihed  at  the  pride  of  impo- 

'^dStvSsr3'  ^  tent,  degenerate  man,  who  is  fo  prone 
to  coniider  him  Self  as  a  being  poffefied'  of  fove'reign 
freedom,  and  inverted  with  a  power  of  felf-falvation  : 
able,  he  imagines,'  to  counter  aB  the  defigns'even  of  Infinite' 
Wjfdom,  and  to  defeat  the  agency  ol  Omnipotence  itfelfl 
Tejball  Fe as  gods,  laid  the  tempter  to  Eve,  in  Paradife  ; 
and  Ye  are  as  gods;  fays  the  fame  tempter,  now,  to  her 
apoftate  fons.— One  would  be  apt  to  think*  that  a  fug- 
geftion,  fo  de.nonrtrably  falfe  and  flattering ,  a  fuggef- 
tion,  the  very  reverfe  of  what  we  feel  to  be  cur  Hate ; 
a  fuggeftion,  alike  contrary  to  feripfure  and  rcafon ,  t <r 
fall  and  experience ;  could  never  meet  with  the  fmaileft 
degree  cf  credit.  And  yet,  becauie  it  fo  exactly  coin¬ 
cides  with  the  natural  haughtinefs  of  the  human  heart, 
men  not  only  admit,  but  even  reliih  the  deception,- 
and  fondly  incline  to  believe,  that -the  father  of  lies 
does,  in  this  inftance  at  ieart,  fpeak  truth. 

The  feripture  doctrine  or  predetermination,  lays  tire 
axe  to  the  very  root  ot  this  potent  delufion.  It  allures 
us,  that  All  things  are  cf  God.  1  hat  All  our  times,  and 
Ad.  events,  are  in  his  hand;  confequently,  that  man’s 
b  blinds  below  is,  chief/ _y,  to  fill  up  the  departments, 
and  to  difcharge  the  fever.il  offices  aligned  him,  in 
God’s  purpole,  from  everlafting  ;  and  that,  having  lived 
A  3  h:s 


[  ir  ] 

his  appointed  time ,  and  finilhed  his  allotted  courfe  of  action 
and  luffering,  he,  that  moment,  quits  the  flage  of  ter- 
teArial  life,  and  removes  to  the  invilible  Aate. 

The  iate  defervedly  celebrated  Dr.  Young,  tho’  be 
affected  great  oppofition  to  fome  of  the  doftrines  called 
Calvin  fie ;  was  yet  compelled,  by  the  force  of  truth, 
to  acknowledge,  that  ‘  There  is  not  a  Fly,  but  has 

*  had  Infinite  V.  ifdom  concerned,  not  only  in  its  firuc- 

*  ture,  but  in  its  defiinaticn  Nor  did  the  late  learn¬ 
ed  and  excellent  Bifhop  Hopkins  go  a  jot  too  far,  in 
aliening  as  follows  :  ‘  A  lparrovv,  whole  price  is  but 

*  mean,  two  of  them  valued  at  a  farthing  (which  fome 

*  make  to  be  the  ioth  part  of  a  Roman  penny,  and  was 

*  certainly  one  of  their  lenll  coins)  and  whofe  life,  there- 

*  tore,  is  but  contemptible,  and  whofe  flight  leems  gid- 
‘  dy  and  at  random  ;  yet  it  falls  not  to  the  ground,  nei- 
4  ther  lights  any  where,  without  your  Father.  His  all- 
4  wife  providence  hath  before  appointed  what  bough  it 

*  fliall  pitch  on  ;  what  grains  it  lhall  pick  up  ;  where  it 
4  lhall  lodge,  and  Where  it  fhall  build ;  on  what  it  fhall 
‘  line,  and  when  it  fhall  die.— Our  Saviour  adds,  The 

*  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  God  keeps  an 
4  account,  even  of  that  ftringy  excrefcence.— Do  you  fee 
4  a  thoufand  little  motes  and  atoms  wandering  up  and 
4  down  in  a  fun-beam  l  It  it  God  that  fo  peoples  it,  and 
4  he  guides  their  innumerable  and  irregular  Arayings. 

*  Not  a  duf  flies  in  a  beaten  road,  but  God  raifeth  it, 
4  conduits  its  uncertain  motion,  and,  by  his  particular 
4  ca  e,  conveys  it  to  the  certain  place  he  had  before  ap¬ 
pointed  for  it :  nor  lhall  the  moA  fierce  and  tempeftu- 
‘  ou3  wind  hurry  it  any  1  rther.—  jNothing  comes  to 
4  pal's,  but  God  hath  his  ends  in  it,  and  will  certa.nly 
4  make  his  own  ends  out  of  it.  Tho’  the  world  feem  to 
4  run  at  random,  and  affairs  to  be  huddled  together  in 
4  blind  confuflon  and  rude  diforder  ;  yet  God  fees  and 
4  knows  the  concatenation  of  all  caufes  and  ejjedts ,  and  fo 
4  governs  them,  that  he  makes  a  perfeTl  harmony  out  of 
4  all  thofe  feeming  jarrings  and  uilccrds.-— It  is  moll 
4  neceffary,  that  we  fhoul  J  have  our  hearts  well  eflablifr.- 
4  ed  in  the  firm  and  unwavering  belief  ot  this  truth  ; 

4  That 


*  Cc  iMur  n  ot  Fab.  Letter  II. 


C  v  ] 

{  That  vjhatfoever  comes  to  pafs,  be  it  good  or  evil ,  wet 
‘  may  look  up  to  the  hand  and  difpofal  of  all,  to  God— 

*  In  refpeft  of  God,  there  is  nothing  eafual,  nor  con- 
‘  tingent,  in  the  world.  If  a  matter  lhould  lend  a  fervent 
‘  to  a  certain  place,  and  command  him  to  flay  there  tilt 
‘  fuch  a  time  ;  and  prefently  after,  Should  fend  another 
‘  fervant  to  the  fame  [place]  ;  the  meeting  of  thefs 
‘  two  is  wholly  eafual,  in  refpeff  of  themfelves,  but  or- 
‘  dained  and  forefeen  by  the  matter  who  fent  them.  So  it 

*  is  in  all  fortuitous  events  here  below.  They  fall  out 

*  unexpectedly  as  to  us ;  but  not  fo  as  to  God.  He  fore- 
‘  fees,  and  he  appoints,  all  the  viciilitudes  of  things*.’ 

To  illuftrate  this  momentous  doibrine,  efpeci'ally  l'o 
far  as  God’s  foverfeign  diftributton  of  grace  and  glory  is 
concerned,  was  the  chief  motive  that  determined  me  to- 
the  prefent  publication.  In  perilling  the  works  of  that 
matt  learned  and  evangelical  Divine,  one  ofwhofe  per¬ 
formances  now  appears  in  an  Englifh  d'refs  ;  i  was  par¬ 
ticularly  taken  with  that  part  of  his  ConfelTion  of  Faith 
(prefented  A.  D.  1562,  to  the  Senate  of  Strafburgh), 
which  relates  to  predeftination.  It  is,  from  beginning 
to  end,  a  regular  chain  of  folid  argument,  deduced  from 
the  unerring  word  of  Divine  Revelation,  and  confirm¬ 
ed  by  the  coincident  teftiraonies  of  iome  ot  the  greateft 
lights  that  ever  (hone  in  the  Chriftian  church.  Such 
Were  Auftin,  Luther,  Bucer,  MelamSjfhon.  Names, 
that  will  be  precious  and  venerable,  as  long  as  true  re¬ 
ligion  has  a  friend  remaining  upon  earth. 

Excellent  as  Zanchy’s  original  piece  is,  I  yet  have 
occalionally  ventured,  both  to  retrench  and  to  enlarge 
it  in  the  tranfiation.  To  this  libs'  ty  I  was  induced,  by 
a  defire  of  rendering  it  as  complete  a  treadle  on  the 
fubjeff,  as  the  allotted  compafs  would  allow.  I  have 
endeavoured  rather  to  enter  into  thz  fpirii  of  the  admi¬ 
rable  author,  than,  with  a  fcrnpulous  exadfnsfs,  to  re¬ 
tail  his  very  words.  By  which  means,  the  performance’ 
will  prove,  I  humbly  truft,  the  more  fatisfa&ory  to  the 
Englifh  reader;  add,  for  the  learned  one,  he  can  at  any 
time,  if  he  pleafes,  by  comparing  the  following  Verlion 
with  the  original  Latin,  both  perceive  wherein  I  have 
A  3  pre fumed 

*  Sermon  upon  Providence,  f»om  x,  29,  30, 


[  vi  ] 

prefumed  fo  vary  from  it ;  and  judge  for  himfeF,  whe¬ 
ther  my  omiflions,  variations,  and  enlargements  are  ui'e- 
iul  and  juft. 

The  Arminians,  ( T  know  not,  whether  thro’  igno- 
rance,  or  to  ferre  a  turn)  afFeCt,  at  prefenr,  to  give  out. 
That  Luther  and  Calvin  were  not  agreed  in  the  article 
of  Predejt-i nation.  A  more  palpable  miftake  was  never 
advanced.  So  far  is  it  from  being  true,  that  Luther 
(as  I  can  ealily  prove  it  called  to  it)  went  as  heartily 
into  that  doctrine  as  Calvin  himfelf.  He  even  allerted 
it  with  much  more  warmth,  and  proceeded  to  much 
hiirjbcr  lengths  in  defending  it,  than  Calvin  ever  did,  or 
any  other  writer  1  have  met  with  of  that  age.— In  the 
following  performance,  I  have,  for  the  mod  part,  care¬ 
fully  retained  Zanchy’s  quotations  from  Luther,  that 
the  reader  from  the  fainple,  there  given,  might  form  a 
juft  idea  of  Luther’s  real  fentiments  concerning  the 
points  in  queftion. 

Never  was  a  publication  of  this  kind  more  feafonab Ic  than 
at  prefent.  Arminianifin  is  the  grand  religious  evil  of  this 
age  and  country.  It  has,  more  or  lefs  infected  every  Pro- 
teftant  denomination  ainon  gft  us,  and  bids  fair  for  leaving 
us  in  a  fnort  time,  not  fo  much  as  the  very  profejjion  of 
godlinefs.  The /><?iiwofChriftianity  has,  for  the  inoftpart 
taken  its  flight  long  ago  ;  and  even  the  form  of  it  ieems 
to  beon  the  point  of  bidding  us  farewell.  Time  has  been, 
when  the  Calviniftic  dodtrines  were  conftdered  and  de¬ 
fended  as  the  Palladium  of  our  Eftabliihed  Church,  by 
her  Bilhops  and  Clergv ;  by  the  Univerftties  and  the 
whole  body  of  the  Laity.  It  was  (during  the  reigns  of 
Edward  VI.  Queen  Elizabeth,  James  Land  the  greater 
part  of  Charles  I.)  as  difficult  to  meet  with  a  Clergy¬ 
man,  who  did  not  preach  the  doctrines  of  the  Church 
of  England  as  it  is  now  to  find  one  who  does.-— We  have 
generally  forfaken  the  principles  of  the  Reformation  ; 
and  Icbahod. ,  or,  Thy  glory  is  departed ,  has  been  written 
on  mod:  of  our  pulpiis  and  church-doors  ever  lince. 

“  Thou,  Q  God,  haft  brought  a  vine  out  of 
“  Egy  t ;  thou  caft  out  the  heathen,  and  planted  it. 

"  Thou  preparedft  room  before  it,  and  didlt  caufe  it 
“  to  take  deep  root  j  and  it  filled  the  laud. 


*'  The 


“  The  hills  were  covered  with  the  fhadow  of  it,  and 
“  the  boughs  thereof  were  like  the  goodly  cedars. 

“  She  lent  out  her  boughs  to  the  lea,  and  her  branches 
“  unto  the  river. 

“  Why  half  thou  then  broken  down  her  hedges,  fo 
“  that  all  they,  who  pafs  by  the  way,  do  pluck  her? 

“  The  boar,  out  of  the  wood,  doth  wafte  it ;  and  the 
“  wild  bead:  of  the  field  doth  devour  it. 

“  Return  we  befeech  thee,  O  God  of  hods !  Look 
“  down  from  heaven,  and  behold  and  vilit  this  vine  ; 

“  And  the  vineyard,  which  thy  right  hand  hath  plant” 
“  ed;  and  the  branch  that  thou  madeftftrong  Jor  thyfelf! 

“  So  will  we  not  go  back  from  thee  :  quicken  us,  and 
“  vve  lhall  call  upon  thy  name. 

“  Turn  us  again,  O  Lord  God  of  hods !  caufe  thy 
“  face  to  Ihine,  and  we  lhall  yet  be  laved.”  Pfalm  lxxx. 

Never  was  defcription  more  drikingly  expreliivc 
of  the  date  our  national  church  is,  at  prefent,  ill  ! 
Never  was  /application  more  pertinently  adapted  to  th@ 
lips  of  her  genuine  Jons  ! 

In  vain  do  we  lament  the  progrefs  of  Popery ;  in  vain 
do  we  Ihut  up  a  few  private  mafs-houfes ;  while  our 
prejfes  teem,  and  our  pulpits  ring,  with  the  Romijh 
dodtrines  of  Merit  and  Free-will  :  dodtrines  whole 
native  and  inevitable  tendency  is,  to  frriooth  the  paf- 
fage  for  our  fuller  coalition  with  Antichrijl.  If  we  are 
really  delirous,  to  limn  committing  l'piritual  Adultery 
with  the  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  ;  we  mull 
withdraw  our  feet  from  the  way  that  leadetb  to  her  houfi. 

Blefled  be  God,  the  doctrines  of  grace  are  again  be¬ 
ginning  to  lift  up  their  heads  amongd  us :  a  ben,  it  it 
to  be  hoped,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  not  quite  for- 
faken  us  ;  and  that  our  redemption ,  from  the  prevailing 
errors  of  the  day,  drawetb  near.  Now,  if  ever,  is  the 
time,  for  all  who  love  our  church  and  nation  in  lin- 
cerity,  to  lend  an  helping  hand  to  the  Ark ,  and  con¬ 
tribute,  though  ever  fo  little  to  its  return. 

The  grand  objection,  ufitally  made  to  that  impor¬ 
tant  truth,  which  is  the  main  fubjedt  of  the  enduing 
Iheets  ;  proceeds  on  a  l’uppoiition  of  partially  in  God, 
Should  the  Caiviniilic  doctrine  be  admitted.— If  this 

coufequence 


[  1 

confequence  did  really  follow,  I  fee  not  how  it  would 
authorize  man  to  arraign  the  conduct  of  Deity.  Should 
an  earthly  friend  make  me  a  prefent  of  1 0,000 1.  would 
it  not  be  unrcafonable ,  ungrateful ,  and  prefumptuous  in 
me,  to  refuje  the  gitt,  and  revile  the  giver,  only  bc- 
caufe  it  might  not  be  his  pleafure  to  confer  the  fame 
favour  on  my  next-door  neighbour  ?— In  other  oaf  s, 
the  value  of  a  privilege,  or  of  a  pofieffion,  is  enhanced , 
by  its  fcarcenefs.  A  virtuofo ,  fets  but  little  efeein  on 
a  medal,  a  ifatue,  or  a  vafe,  fo  common,  that  every 
man,  who  pleafes,  may  have  one  of  the  fame  kind  : 
he  prizes  that  alone,  as  a  rarity,  which  really  is  fuch ; 
and  which  is  not  only  intrinfically  valuable,  but  which 
lies  in  few  hands.— Were  all  men,  here  upon  earth, 
qualified  and  enabled  to  appear  as  Kings  ;  the  crown, 
the  feeptre,  the  robe  of  fate,  and  other  enfigns  of  Ma- 
jefly,  would  prefently  fink  into  things  hardly  notice¬ 
able.  The  difiinguifhing  grandeurs  of  Royalty,  by 
ceaiing  to  be  uncommon,  would  quickly  ceafe  to  be 
augujl  and  fr iking.  Upon  this  principle  it  was,  that 
Henry  IV.  of  Franc?,  i'aidon  his  birth-day,  ‘I  was  born 
‘  as  on  this  day  ;  and,  no  doubt,  taking  the  world 
‘  through,  thoufands  were  born  on  the  fame  day  with 
‘  me  :  yet,  out  of  all  thofe  thoufands,  I  am,  perhaps, 

*  the  only  one  whom  God  hath  made  a  King.  How 
‘  fignally  am  I  indebted  to  the  peculiar  bounty  ot  his 

*  Providence  !’-— Similar  are  the  reflections  and  the 
acknowledgment  ot  fuch  perfons,  as  are  favoured  with 
the  lenfe  of  their  Elehlion  in  Chrift  to  hoiinefs  and 
heaven. 

1  But  v.'hat  lecomes  of  the  non-elett  ?’  You  have  no¬ 
thing  to  do  with  fuch  a  qucllion,  if  you  find  yourfelf 
embarrafled  and  diftrefied  with  the  conlideration  of  it. 
Blefs  God  for  his  electing  love  :  and  leave  him  to  aft 
as  he  pleafes  by  them  that  are  without.  S-imply  ac- 
quiefee  in  the  plain  Scripture-account,  and  with  tQ 
fee  no‘farther,  than  Revelation  holds  the  lamp.  ’  'Pis 
enough  for  you  to  know,  That  the  Judge  of  the  whole 
earth  will  do  right.— Yet,  will  you  reap  much  improve¬ 
ment  from  th?  view  of  predefiination,  in  its  full  ex¬ 
tent,  if  your  eyes  ..re  able  ftedfaftly  to  look  at  all 

which. 


[  «  3 


which  God  hath  made  known  concerning  it.  But,  if 
your  Spiritual  light  is  weak,  forego  the  enquiry,  fo  far 
as  reprobation  is  concerned  ;  and  be  con  ten-  to  know 
but  in  part ,  till  death  tranfmits  you  to  that  perfect:  date, 
where  you  (hall  know  even  as  you  are  known.  Say  not, 
therefore,  as  the  oppofers  of  thefe  dodirines  did  in  St. 
Paul’s  days  ;  JVby  doth  God  find  fault  with  the  wicked? 
For  who  hath  refifteil  his  will  ?  ‘If  he,  who  only  can 
‘  convert  them,  refrains  from  doing  it ;  what  room  is 
‘  there  for  blaming  them  that  perilh,  feeing  it  is  im- 
‘  pollible  to  reiift  the  will  of  the  Almighty  ?’  Be  Satis¬ 
fied  with  St.  Paul’s  anfwer  :  “  Nay,  but  who  art  thou 
“  O  man,  that  replied  againd  God?”  TheApodle  hin¬ 
ges  the  matter  entirely  on  God’s  abfolute  fovereignty% 
There  he  reds  it ;  and  there  w  ought  to  leave  it.  * 
Were  the  whole  of  mankind  equally  loved  of  God, 
end  promifaioufiy  redeemed  by  Chrid ;  the  Jong ,  which 
believers  are  directed  to  ling,  would  hardly  run  in  thefe 
admiring  drains  :  “  To  him  that  hath  loved  us,  and 
“  walked  us  from  our  tins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
“  made  us  Kings  and  Prieds  unto  God,  Sic.”  Rev. 
i.  6.  An  hymn  of  praife,  like  this,  feems  evident¬ 
ly  to  proceed  on  the  hypothefis  of peculiar  Election,  on 
the  part  of  God  ;  and  of  a  limited  redemption ,  on  the 
part  of  Chrid  :  which  we  find  dill  more  explicitly  de¬ 
clared,  Rev.  v.  9.  where  we  have  a  tranfcript  of  that 


*  Some  of  the  more  conliderate  Heathens  treated 
God’s  hidden  will,  with  an  adoring  reverence,  which 
many  of  our  modern  Arminians  would  do  well  to  imi¬ 
tate.  Thus  Biou  (Kleod.  Murs.  10.) 

‘  ’Tis  not  for  man  to  fit  iri  judgment  on  the  actions 
«  of  God.’ 

So  Theognis  (Guam,  iqr,  142.) 

‘  We  men  are  foolifii  in  our  imaginations  and  know 
‘  nothing : 

4  But  the  Gods  accomplilli  all  things  according  to 
‘  their  own  mind.’ 

And  again,  (iin.  687,  688.) 

‘  ’Tis  not  lawful  for  mortals,  to  enter  the  lids  with 
‘  the  Gods,  nor  to  bring  in  an  accufation  againd  them.’ 


[  X  ] 

forig,  which  the  fbirits  of  juft  men.  made  perfeft  are  ncfv 
iinging  before  the  Throne,  and  before  the  Lamb: 
“  Thou*  waft  llain,  and  haft  redeemed  us  unto  God,  by 
“  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  anft  tongue,  and 
“  people,  and  nation.”  Whence  the  eleft  are  laid  to 
have  been  redeemed  from  among  men.  Rev.  xiv. 

In  fhort  there  is  no  fuch  thing  as  cajualty  or  accident , 
even  in  things  of  temporal  concern:  much  lei's,  in  mat¬ 
ters  fpiritual  and  ever  lading.  If  the  univerfe  had  a 
Maker ,  it  muft  have  a  Governor  :  and,  if  it  has  a  Go¬ 
vernor,  his  will  and  providence  muft  extend  to  all  thing  's , 
without  exception.  For  my  own  part,  I  can  difeern 
no  medium  between  ablolute  Predeftin.ition,  and  blank 
Atheifm. 

Mr.  Roll  in,  if  I  offtake  not,  has,  fomewhere,  a 
fine  obfervation,  to  this  efteft :  That  ‘  It  is  ufual, 

‘  with  God,  fo  carefully  to  conceal  himfelf,  and  to 
‘  hide  the  Agency  of  his  Providence  behind  fecond 
‘  caufes ;  as  to  render  That,  very  often,  undil'ce;nable, 
‘and  indiftraguifhable  from  The/ef  Which  wifdom  of 
conduct,  and  gentlenel's  of  operation  (not  lei's  efficacious, 
becaufe  gentle  and  invifible)  inftead  of  exciting  the  ad¬ 
miration  t.\ey  deferve ;  have,  on  the  contrary,  given 
occafion  to  the  letting  up  of  that  unreal  idol  of  the 
brain,  called  chance <  Whereas,  to  ufe  the  lovely  lines 
of  our  great  moral  poet, 

Ail  Nature  is  hut  Art  unknovm  to  thee ; 

All  Chance,  Direction  which  thou  canjl  not  fee. 

Words  are'  only  lo  far  valuable,  as  they  are  the  ve¬ 
hicles  of  meaning.  And  meaning,  or  ideas ,  derive 
their  whole  value  from  . their  having  fome  foundation 
in  reafon ,  reality  and  fiiH.  Was  I,  therefore,  to  be 
concerned  in  drawing  up  an  JLxpurgatory  Index  to  lan¬ 
guage  ;  I  would,  without  mercy,  cashier  and  proferibe 
fuch  words,  as  chance ,  fortune ,  luck,  cajualty,  contin¬ 
gency, i  and  mijhap.  Nor  unjuftly.  For,  they  are  voces, 
(A praeterea  nihil.  Mere  terms ,  without  ideas.  Ablolute 
expletives,  which  import  nothing.  Unmeaning  cyphers , 
either  proudly,  or  facrihgioufy  invented  to  hide  man’s 
ignorance  of  real  caufes,  or  to  rob  the  Dei  i  y  of  the 
honours  due  to  his  Wifdom,  Providence,  and  Power. 

Reafon 


t  si  ] 

Reafcn  and  revelation  are  perfect  unifons,  in 
alluring  us,  That  God  is  the  Supreme,  Independent 
Furfi  Caufe  ;  of  Whom,  all  fecondary  and  inferior  caufes 
are  no  more  than  the  effeSls.  Elfe,  proper  originali¬ 
ty  and  abfolute  wifdom,  unlimited  fupremacy,  and  al¬ 
mighty  power,  ceafe  to  be  attributes  of  Deity.-— I  re¬ 
member  to  have  heard. an  interefting  anecdote  of  King 
William,  and  Biihop  Burnet.  The  Arminian  prelate 
affected  to  wonder,  ‘  How  -a  perfon,  of  his  M ajefiy’s 
4  piety  and  good  fenfe,  could  fo  rootedly  believe  the 
4  dodtrine  of  Abfolute  Predef {nation The  Royal  Cal- 
vinift  replied  ;  ‘  Did  I  not  believe  abfolute  Predesti- 
4  nation,  I  could  not  believe  a  Providence.  For, 
4  it  would  be  molt  abfurd  to  fuppofe,  that  a  Being  of 
4  infinite  wifdom  would  act  without  a  Plan:  for 
4  which  plan  Predeftination  is  only  another  name.’ 

What,  indeed,  is  Predeftination ,  but  God’s  deter, - 
w.nate  flan  of  adiion  ?  and  what  is  Providence,  but 
the  evolution  .  of  that  pla?i  ?  In  his  decree ,  God  refolved, 
within  hunfelf,  what  he  would  do,  and  what  he  would 
permit  to  be  done  :  By  his  providence,  this  -effective 
and  permimve  will  palfes  into  external  afl,  and  has  its 
pofitive  accomplilhinent.  So  that  the  purpofe  ol  God, 
as  it  were,  draws  the  out-lines  ;  and  Providence  lays 
on  the  colours.  What  that  defigned,  this  completes :  what 
* that  ordained,  this  executes.  Predeffinaticn  is  analo¬ 
gous  to  the  mind  and  intention  ;  Providence,  to  the  hand 
and  agency  of  the  artificer.  Hence,  we  are  told, 
That  God  w orketh  [there’s  hisPnoy  idence]  all  things 
after  the  counfcl  of  bis  own  will  ^[there’s  -his  Decree] 
Eph.  i.  ii.  And  again,  “He  doth  according  to  hi* 
“will  in  the  army  of  heaven  and  among  the  inhabi- 
“  tants  of  the  earth  :  and  none  can  fiay  his  band  [/,  e. 
hi,s  will  and  the  execution  of  it  irrefillible]  “  nor  fay 
“  unto  him,  what  doll  thou  ?”  i.  e.  his  purpoie  and 
Providence  are  fovereign,  and  for  which  he  will  not 
be  accountable  to  his  creatures.  Dan.  iv. 

According,  therefore,  to  the  Scripture  reprelentation, 
Providence  neither  adls  vaguely  and  at  random ,  like  a 
blind  archer,  who  (hoots  uncertainly  in  the  dark,  as 
well  as  he  can  ;  nor  yet  pro  re  nata ,  or  as  the  unlore  - 

feen 


t  ] 

feen  exigence  of  affairs  may  require  :  like  fome  blun¬ 
dering  ftatefman,  who  plunges  (it  may  be)  his  country 
and  himfelf  into  difficulties,  and  then  is  forced  to  un¬ 
ravel  his  cobweb,  and  reverfe  his  plan  of  op.  rations, 
as  the  beft  remedy  for  thofe  difaftcrs,  which  the  court- 
fpider  had  not  the  wifdom  to  forefee.  But  fhall  we  fay 
this  of  God  ?  ’Twere  blal'phemy.  He  that  dwcllcth  in 
heaven  laughcth  all  th'efe  miferable after-thoughts  to /corn. 
GoD,w'ho  can  neither  be  over-reached  nor  over-pow'er- 
ed,  has  all  thele  poff-expedients  in  deriffon.  He  is  in¬ 
capable  of  miffake.  He  knows  no  levity  of  will.  He 
cannot  befurprizedwith  any  unforeleen  inconveniences. 
“  His  throne  is  in  heaven,  and  his  kingdom  ruleth 
“  over  alb”  Whatever,  therefore,  comes  topafs,  come* 
to  pais  as  a  part  of  the  original  flan  :  and  is  the  off- 
fpring  of  that  prolific  feries  of  caufes  and  effects,  which 
owes  its  birth  to  the  ordaining  and  permillive  will  of 
him,  in  whom  “  we  all  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
“  being.”  Providence,  in  time,  is  the  hand  that  deli¬ 
vers  God’s  purpofe,  of  thofe  beings  and  events,  with 
which  that  purpofe  was  pregnant  from  everl^ffing.  The 
doctrine  of  equivocal  generation  is  not  more  ablurd  in 
philofophy,  than  the  doctrine  of  unprcdcjlinated  events 
is  in  theology. 

Thus,  the  long  train  of  things  is,  tho’ 

‘  Almighty  maze,  yet  not  without  a  plan.’ 

God’s  Sovereign  Will  is  the firft  link  ;  his  Unalterable 
Decree  is  the  fecond ;  and  his  all-adtive  Providence  the 
third  in  the  great  chain  of  caufes.  What  his  will  deter¬ 
mined,  that  his  decree  eftablifhed,  and  his  providence  ei¬ 
ther  mediately  or  immediately  ej/efls.  His  will  was  the 
adorable  fpring  of  all  :  His  decree  mark’d  out  the  chan¬ 
nel,  and  his  providence  directs  the  flream.— If  fo,  it 
may  be  objected,  ’twill  follow,  ‘  That  w  hatever  is,  is 
‘  right.’  Confequences  can’t  be  helped.  No  doubt, 
God,  who  does  nothing  in  vain  ;  who  cannot  do  any 
thing  to  no  purpofe ,  and  flill  lefs  to  a  bad  one  ;  who  both 
ails  and  permits  with  defign,  and  who  weighs  the  paths 
of  men  ;  has,  in  the  unfathomable  abyfs  of-his  ccunfel, 
very  important  (tho’  to  us  lecret)  reaiens,  tor  perrnit- 
ting  the  firft  eotrar.ee  of  moral  evil,  and  for  flittering 

both 


[  xiii  ] 

both  moral  and  natural  evil  ftill  to  reign  over  fo  great 
a  part  ot  the  creation.  Unfearcbable  arc  bis  judgments 
[decrees]  and  his  w ays  [the  methods  and  dd'peniations 
or  his  Providence] pafi finding  out.  l'  Who  hath  known 
“  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  or  who  hath  been  his  coun- 
“  iellorr  For  or-  him,  and  through  him,  and  to  him, 
“  are  all  things.”  Rom.  ii.  33,  34,  36.— As  to  my- 
felf,  I  can  through  grace  mod  heartily  adopt  the 
maxim  ot  Bengelius,  Non  plus  fumer e ,  non  minus  ac- 
cipere* :  I  neither  wi(h  to  kno-ui  more  than  God  has  re¬ 
vealed',  nor  to  remain  ignorant  oj-what  be  has  ; weal¬ 
ed, .  I  delire  to  advance,  and  to  halt,  juft  when  and 
where  the  pillar  ot  God’s  written  word  Hays,  cr  gees 
forward.  I  am  content,  that  the  impenetrable  veil,  di¬ 
vinely  interpos’d  between  bis  purpofes  and  my  com- 
preheniion,  be  not  drawn  afide,  ’till  faith  is  loft  in 
light,  and  my  fpirit  returns  to  him  who  gave  it.— But 
ot  this  1  am  allured,  that  echo  does  not  reverberate 
found  fo  punctually,  as  the  actual  difpojal  of  things  an- 
fwers  to  God’s  predetermination  concerning  them.  This 
cannot  be  denied,  without  dethroning  Providence,  as 
far  as  in  us  lies,  and  letting  up  fortune  in  its  room. 
There  is  no  alternative.  I  dely  all  the  fophiftry  cf 
man  to  ftrike  out  a  middle  way.  He  that  made  ail 
things,  either  direjls  all  things  he  has  made,  or  has 
conligned  them  over  to  chance.  But  what  is  chance  ? 
a  name  for  nothing. 

I  grant,  that  the  twin  doctrines  of  predeftination  and 
providence,  are  not  without  their  diiftculties.  But  the 
denial  of  them  is  attended  with  ten  thoufand  times  mo,  e 
and  greater.  The  difficulties,  on  one  fide,  are  but  as 
dull  upon  the  balance  :  thofe  on  the  other  as  moun¬ 
tains  in  the  l’cale.  To  imagine,  that  a  Being  cf 
boundiefs  wildom,  power,  and  goodnefs,  would  er  a  e 
the  ttniverji,  and  not  fi-  at  the  helm  afterwards,  bu  tu  11 
us  adrift,  to  ffiiit  -or  ourfelves,  like  an  huge  vefel  with¬ 
out  a  pilot  ;  is  a  fuppohf on,  that  iui. verts  every  no¬ 
tion  of  Deity,  gives  the  lie  to  every  p  <_e  in  the  Bible, 
contradicts  our  daily  experience,  and  infults  the  com¬ 
mon  leafon  of  mankind. 

B  _  Safifi 

*  Or ao  TcmpovuX)  cap,  viin  p.  302. 


{  xiv  ] 

Saff  thou  the  courfe  of  nature  governs  all  ? 

cfhe  cowfe  of  nature  is  the  art  of  God# 

The  whole  creation,  from  the  feraph  down  to  the 
Jndivilible  atom,  miniders  to  the  fupreme  will,  and  is 
Wilder  the  fpecial  obfervation,  government,  and  direc¬ 
tion  ol  the  Omnipotent  Mind :  who  fees  all,  himfelf 
unfeen  :  who  upholds  all,  himfelf  unfudained  ;  who 
guides  ail,  himfelf  guided  by  none  ;  and  who  changes 
'ail,  himfelf  unchang’d. 

•  But  does  not  this  do/trine  tend  to  the  edablilhment 
of  fatality  f*  Suppofing  it  even  did,  were  it  not  let¬ 
ter  to  be  a  chriftian  fatqlif,  than  to  avow  a  fet  of  loofe, 
Arminian  principles,  which,  if  pulhed  to  their  full  ex¬ 
tent,  will  inevitably  terminate  in  the  ranked:  atheifm  ? 
For,  without  predeftination,  there  can  be  no  provi¬ 
dence  ;  and,  without  providence,  no  God.— After  all, 
what  do  you  mean  by  fate  ?  If  you  mean  a  regular fuc- 
rcjfon  of  determined  events ,  horn  the  beginning  to  the 
.end  of  tipie  ;  an  uninterrupted  chain ,  without  a  fingle 
chafm  ;  all  depending  on  the  eternal  will  and  continued 
1  if  tience  of  the  Great  First  Cause  :  if  this  is  fate, 
it  mud  be  owned,  that  it  and  the  Scripture  predefir 
nation  are,  at  mod,  very  thinly  divided ;  or  rather, 
entirely  co-elffee.—  But  if,  by  fate,  is  meant,  either  a 
confituticn  of  things  antecedent  to  the  will  o  f  God  ;  by 
which  he  himfelr  was  hound ,  ah  origine  ;  and  which 
goes  on,  of  if  if,  to  multiply  caufes  and  effcfis  to  the 
exclulion  of  the  all-pervading  power  and  unintermit¬ 
ting  agency  of  an  intelligent,  perpetual,  and  particu¬ 
lar  providence :  neither  reafon  nor  chrf  ianity  allows 
of  any  fuch  fate  as  this.  Fate,  thus  coniidered,  is  jud 
fuch  an  extreme,  on  cne  hand,  as  chance  is,  on  the 
.other.  Bojh  are  alike,  unexifable. 

It  having  been  not  unufual,  with  the  Arminian. 
•writers,  to  tax  us  with  adopting  the  fate  of  the  ancient 
Stoics ;  I  thought  it  might  not  be  unacceptable  to  the 
I'.ng liih  reader,  to  fubjoin  a  brief  view  of  what  thnfe 
y hilofophers  generally  held  (for  they  were  not  all  exatlly 
of  a  mind)  as  to  this  particular.  It  will  appear,  to 
/every  competent  reader,  from  what  is  there  given,  hom 
ff-  (he  doctrine  of  fats,  as  believed  and  taught  by 


[  xv  ] 

the  Stoics  nlay  be  admitted,  upon  chriftian  principle f# 
Having  large  materials  by  me,  for  fuch  a  work,  it 
would  have  been  very  eafy  for  me  to  have  annexed  a 
diflertation,  ot  rriyoWn,  upon  the  fubjecl :  but  I  chofe 
to  confine  myfdf  to  a  fmall  extraff  from  the  citations 
and  remarks  of  the  learned  Lipfius  ;  who  feems,  in 
his  P hyjiologia  Stoicorum ,  to  have  almoft  exhaufted  the 
fubftance  ot  the  argument,  with  a  penetration  and  pre- 
cifion,  which  leave  little  room  either  tor  addition  or 
amendment.  In  a  caufe,  therefore,  where  the  in* 
terefl:  of  truth  is  fo  eminently  concerned,  I  would 
rather  retain  the  able  Id  counfel,  when  it  can  be  had, 
than  venture  to  be,  myfdf,  her  i'ole  advocate. 

For  my  own  particular  part,  I  frankly  conte'fs,  that 
as  far  as  the  analogy,  between  the  fate  of  the  Stoics, 
and  th e predefthtation  of  the  Bible*  holds  good ;  I  lee 


*  '  Now  I  am  in  fome  meafure  enlightened,’  (fays 
a  learned  and  amiable  divine,  foil  living)  ‘  I  can  eafily 
perceive,  that  it  is  in  the  adjuflment  and  concurrence 
of  feemingly  fortuitous  circutnfomces,  that  the  ruling 
power  ana  wifdom  of  God  are  mod  evidently  difpiay- 
ed  in  human  affairs.  Flow  many  fuch  cafual  events 
may  we  remark  in  the  hiftory  of  Jofepb,  which  had 
each  a  neceffary  influence  in  his  enfuing  promotion  ! 
--If  the  Midianites  had  palled  by  a  day  i'ooner,  or  a 
day  later  ;  — If  they  had  fold  him  to  any  perfon,  but 
Potiphar;  If  his  miflrefs  had  been  a  better  woman  a--~ 
If  Pharaoh’s  officers  had  not  difpleafed  their  Lord  : 
or,  if  any,  or  all  thefe  things  had  fallen  out  in  any 
other  manner ,  or  time,  than  they  did  ;  ail  that  fol¬ 
lowed,  had  been  prevented  :  the  promifes  and 
purpofes  of  God  concerning  Ifrael,  their  bond¬ 
age,  deliverances,  polity,  and  i'ettlement,  mufl  have 
failed  :  and,  as  all  thefe  things,  tended  to  and  -centered 
in  Christ,  the  promifed  Saviour;  the  defat  of  all 
nations  would  not  have  appeared.  Mankind  had 
been  foil  in  their  fins,  without  hope  ;  and  the  coun- 
fels  of  God’s  eternal  love,  in  favour  of  finneis,  de¬ 
feated.  Thus  we  may  lee  a  Connection  between 
B  2  Jofeph’s 


(  xvi  ) 

no  reifon,  why  wc  fhould  be  afhamed  to  acknowledge 
it.  St.  Aulbn,  and  many  other  greac  and  excellent  men, 
have  not  fcrupled  to  admit  both  the  word  and  the  thing, 
properly  underitood  f.  I  am  quite  of  Lipiius’s  mind: 
Jit  vero  non  avcrfabor  Stoici  nomen  ;  fid  Stoici  Chrilti- 
ani  :  1  I  h  we  no  objection  to  being  called  a  Stoic ,  fo 

t  you  but  prefix  the  word  Chrfilinu  to  it.’j 

•g— ■ ■— '■=2- 

*  Jolhph’s  firft  dream,  and  the  death  of  our  Lord 

*  Christ,  with  all  its  glorious  confcquences.  So 

*  ftrong,  though  fecret,  in  the  concatenation  be- 
‘  ween  the great  e/1  and  the  fualkf  events  !— What  a 
‘comfortable  thought  is  this  to  a  believer,  to  know 
‘  that  amid  It  allthe  various,  interfering  deiigns  of  men; 

‘  th”  Lord  has  one  conflant  deiign,  which  he  cannot, 

‘  will  not  mil's  :  namely,  his  own  glory,  in  ihecom- 
‘  plete  falvation  of  his  people  !  and  that  he  is  wife, 

*  and  ftrong,  and  f;.i:hful,  to  make  even  thofe  things, 

‘  which  feem  contrary  to  this  defign,  fubfervient  to  pro- 

*  mote  it !’  See  p.  <;6.  8r  leq.  ot  a  molt  entertaining  and 
inltrudtive  piece,  entitled,  An  Authentic  Narrative  of 
feme  ran  (triable  a»l  Interefuig  particulars  in  the  life  of 

*-**•*#,  in  a  [erics- -of  letters,  i/bij. 

+  Fora  fample,  the  learned  reader  may  perufe  the  ju- 
rlicious  chapter,  De  Fato ,  in  Abp.  Bradwardin’s  irn mor¬ 
tal  ,book,  De  Claufa  Dei,  lib.  i.  cap.  28. 
j  Oper.  T.  i.  fief  Pof  hitm.  cap.  in  p.  1 1 8. 


OBSERVATIONS 


OBSERYATIO 

ON  THE 


ivine  Attributes 


NECESSARY  to  EE  PREMISED, 

In  order  to  our  better  tmderftanclmg  the 
Dodtrine  of  Predestination. 


^^fLTHO-  the  great  and  everblefied 


;  «  a  .. 

a' 


and 


,  „  xi 

ffxMx I 


God  is  a  being  abfolutely  fimple , 
infinitely  remote  from  all  Ihab-'-.v  or 
compofition  \  he  is,  neverthelefs,  in 
condefcenfion  to  our  weak  and  con¬ 
tracted  faculties,  reprefented  in  Scrip¬ 
ture,  as  poffefled  of  diners  properties 
or  attributes,  which,  though  feemingly  different  from 
his  ejjince ,  are,  in  reality,  effential  to  him,  and  edeui- 
tutive  of  his  very  nature. 

Or  thefe  attributes,  thofe  on  which  we  {hall  now 
particularly  defcant  (as  being  more  immediately  con¬ 
cerned  in  the  en fuing  fubjeft)  are  the  following  ones  : 
i.  Rif  eternal  wifdom  and  forekntnvkJge.  2.  The  abso¬ 
lute  freeiom  and  liberty  of  his  will.  3.  The  perpetuity 


cbiingcablencfi- 


both  ot  himielf 

M 


and  his  decrees. 


and  un 

4.  Kis  omnipotence.  4.  ITs  jnjlice.  6.  His.  mercy. 

Without  an  explication  ot  thefe.  the  cta&rine  ot  pre- 
deftination  cannot  be  fo  well  un-sk  r  flood  ;  we  fla  b, 
therefore,  britliy  confider  them,  by  way  of  preliminary 
to  the  main  fubjedc, 

3  j  I.  With 


[  i*  j 

T.  With  refpeft  to  the  divine  wifdom  and  forelnow - 
ledge,  1  fhaii  lay  down  the  followi  n g pajltions. 

Pof.  i.  God  is,  and  always  was  l'o  perfectly  wife, 
that  nothing  ever  did,  or  does,  or  can  elude  his  know¬ 
ledge.  He  knew,  from  all  eternity,  not  only  what  he 
himfelf  intended  to  do,  but  all'o  what  lie  would  incline 
and  permit  others  to  do.  Adis.  xv.  ill.  “  Known  unto 

God  are  all  his  works,  from  eternity.” 

Pof.  2.  Confequently,  God  knows  nothing  now,  nor 
will  know  any  thing  hereafter,  which  he  did  not  know 
and  forefee  from  everlaFing;  his  foreknowledge  being 
co-eternal  with  himfelf,  and  extending  to  every  thing 
that  is  or  fhall  be  done.  Heb.  iv.  13.  u  All  things,” 
which  comprizes  pall,  prelent  ana  future,  “  are  naked 
“  and  open  to  the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  we  have  to 
“  do.” 

Pof.  3.  This  foreknowledge  of  God  is  not  conjedlu- 
ral  and  uncertain,  (for  then  it  would  not  be  foreknow¬ 
ledge)  but  moll  fure  and  infallible ;  fo  that  whatever 
he  loreknows  to  be  future,  fhall  neceifarily  and  un¬ 
doubtedly  come  to  pals.  For,  his  knowledge  can  no 
more  be  iruftrated,  or  his  wildom  be  deceived,  than  he 
can  ccale  to  be  God.  Nay,  could  either  of  thefe  be 
the  cafe,  he  actually  would  ceafe  to  be  God  ;  all  mif- 
<ake  and  difappointment  being  abfolutely  incompatible 
with  the  divine  nature. 

Pof.  4.  The  influence  which  the  divine  foreknow¬ 
ledge  has  011  the  certain  futurition  of  the  things  fore- 
kno.vn,  does  not  render  the  intervention  ol  fecond 
caufes  needlels,  nor  deftroy  the  nature  of  the  things 
themfelves. 

My  meaning  is,  that  the  prefcience  of  God  does  not 
lay  any  coercive  necellity  on  the  wills  of  beings  natu¬ 
rally  free.  For  inilance,  man,  even  in  his  fallen  Fate, 
is  endued  with  a  natural  freedom  of  will ;  yet  he  adls, 
from  the  firtl  to  the  laid  moment  of  his  life,  in  abfolute 
fubferviency  (though,  perhaps,  he  does  not  know  it  nor 
defign  it)  to  the  purpofes  and  decrees  of  God  concern¬ 
ing  him  ;  notwithFanding  which,  he  is  fenfible  of  no 
compulffon ,  but  afts  as  freely  and  voluntarily,  as  if  he 
was  jui  juris ,  fubjedt  to  no  controul,  and  abfolutely 

lord 


[  i9  3 

lord  of  liimfelf.  This  made  Luther  *,  after  he  had 
Ihewn  how  all  things  necedarily  and  inevitably  come  to 
pais,  in  confequence  of  the  fovereign  will  and  infallible 
foreknowledge  of  God,  fay,  that  ‘  We  fhould  carefully 
‘  diftinguilh  between  a  neceffity  of  infallibility,  and  ane- 
‘  ceility  of  coadlion  ;  lince  both  good  and  evil  men,  tho’ 
*  by  their  actions  they  fulfil  the  decree  and  appoint- 
‘  ment  of  God,  yet  are  not  forcibly  conftrained  to  do 
‘  any  thing,  but  adt  willingly' 

Pof.  5.  God’s  foreknowledge,  taken  abftradtedly,  is 
not  the  1'ole  caufe  of  beings  and  events  ;  but  his  will 
and  foreknowledge  together.  Hence  we  find,  Adds  ii. 
2  j.  that  his  determinate  counfel  and  foreknowledge  add  in 
concert ;  the  latter  rel'ulting  from,  and  being  lounded 
on  the  former. 

We  pafs  on, 

II.  To  coniider  the  will  of  God  :  with  regard  to 
which  we  afiert  as  follows. 

Pof.  i.  The  Deity  is  poflefled  not  only  of  infinite 
knowledge,  but  likewife  of  abfolute  liberty  of  will  ;  fo 
that  whatever  he  does,  or  permits  to  be  done,  he  does 
and  permits  freely ,  and  of  his  own  good  pleafure. 

Confequently,  ’tis  bis  tree  pleafure  to  permit  fn  ; 
fince,  without  his  pennilfion,  neither  men  nor  devils 
can  do  any  thing.  Now,  to  permit ,  is  at  leaf  the  fame 
as  not  to  hinder ,  tho’  it  be  in  our  power  to  hinder  if  we 
pleafe ;  and  this  permifiion,  or  non-hindrance,  is  cer¬ 
tainly  an  add  ot  the  divine  will.  Hence  Auftin  -j-  fays, 

‘  Thofe  things  which  feemingly  thwart  the  divine  will, 

‘  are,  neverthslefs  agreeable  to  it ;  for,  it  God  did  not 
4  permit  them,  they  could  not  be  done  ;  and  whatever 
4  God  permits,  he  permits  freely  and  willingly.  He 
4  does  nothing,  neither  luffers  any  thing  to  be  done 
4  again.fi:  his  own  will.’  And  Luther  j  obf.rves,  that 
4  God  permitted  Adam  to  fall  into  lin,  becaufe  he 
4  willed  that  he  fhculd  fo  fall.’ 

Pof.  2.  Although  the  will  ot  God,  conndered  in  it- 
felf,  is  limply  one  and  the  fame  ;  yet,  in  condefceniion 

to 

*  De  Serv.  Arb.  cap.  44,  -j-  Enchir,  cap.  100, 

t.  De  Serv.  Arb.  c.  153. 


to  the  prefent  capacities  of  men,  the  divine  will  is  very 
properly  diftingtlifhed  inform?/  and  revealed.  Thus  it 
was  his  revealed  will,  that  Pharaoh  lhould  let  the  lfra- 
elites  go;  that  Abraham  fhould  facrif.ce  his  fon  ;  and 
that  Peter  fhoulu  not  deny  Chrift  :  but,  as  was  proved 
by  the  event,  that  it  was  his  fecrct  will  that  Pharaoh 
lhould  not  let  Ifrael  go,  Exod.  iv.  21.  that  Abraham 
lhould  not  facrifice  Ifaac,  Gen.  xxii.  12.  and  that  Peter 
J!)ould  deny  his  Lord,  Matth.  xxvi.  34. 

Pof.  3.  The  will  of  God,  relpecting  the  falvation  and 
condemnation  of  men,  is  never  contrary  to  itfelf ;  he 
immutably  wills  the  falvation  of  the  elect,  and  vice  verfa : 
nor  can  he  ever  vary  or  deviate  from  his  own  will  in 
any  infiance  whatever,  fo  as  that  that  lhould  be  done 
which  he  willeth  not ;  or  that  not  be  brought  to  pafs 
which  he  willeth.  Ifai.  xlvi.  10.  “  My  counfel  fhall 
“  Hand,  and  I  v.'ill  do  all  my  pleafure.”  Pfalm  xxxiii. 
11.  “  The  counfel  of  the  Lord  ftandeth  for  ever,  and 
“  the  thoughts  ot  his  heart  to  all  generations.”  Job 
xxiii.  13,  14.  “  He  is  in  one  mind,  whocan  turn  him? 
“  and  what  his  foul  defireth,  even  that  he  doth  ;  for 
“  he  performeth  the  thing  that  is  appointed  for  me ; 
“  and  many  fuch  things  are  with  him.”  Eph.  i.  ir. 
“  Being  p;edeflinated,  according  to  the  purpofe  of 
“  him,  who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counfel  of 
“  his  own  will.” 

Thus,  for  infiance,  Hophni  and  Phlneas  “  hearkened 
“  not  to  the  voice  of  their  father,”  who  reproved  them 
for  their  wickedness,  “  becaufe  the  Lord  would  flay 
“  them.”  1  Sam.  it.  2:.  and  Sihon,  King  of  Heil  bon, 
would  not  receive  the  peaceable  meffage  lent  him  by 
Moles,  becartfe  “  the  Lotd  God  bardned  hisfpiiir,  and 
“  made  his  heart  obf.inate,  that  he  might  deliver  him 
“  into  the  hand  01  Ifraei.”  Dent.  ii.  26,  30.  Thus  alio, 
to  add  no  mere,  we  find  that  there  have  been,  and  ever 
will  be  fotne,  whole  eyes  God  blindeth,  and  whole 
hearts  he  hardneth,  /.  e.  whom  God  permits  to  conti¬ 
nue  blind  and  hardned,  on  purpofe  to  prevent  their 
feeing  with  their  eyes,  and  undertbanding  with  their 
hearts,  and  to  hinder  their  converliori  to  God,  and  lpi- 
ritual  hearing  bv  him,  Ifai,  vi.  9.  John  xii.  30,  40. 


[  21  ] 

Pof.  4.  Eecanfe  God’s  will  of  precept  may,  in  feme 
inllances,  appear  to  thwart  his  will  of  determination  ; 
it  does  not  follow,  either,  1.  That  he  mocks  his  crea¬ 
tures  ;  or,  2.  That  they  are  exculable  tor  neglecting  to 
o bier ve  his  will  of  command. 

(1.)  He  does  not  hereby  mock  his  creatures  ;  for,  if 
men  do  not  believe  his  word,  nor  obferve  his  precepts, 
the  fault  is  not  in  him,  but  in  themfelves  t  their  unbe¬ 
lief  and  dilobedience  are  not  owing  to  any  ill  infufed 
into  them  by  God,  but  to  the  vitiofty  of  their  depraved 
nature,  and  the  perverfenefs  of  their  own  wills.  Now,- 
if  God  invited  all  men  to  come  to  him,  and  then  fhut 
the  door  of  mercy  againfl  any  who  were  defirous  of  en¬ 
tering,  his  invitation  would  be  a  mockery,-  and  unwor¬ 
thy  of  himfelf ;  but  we  inlift  on  it,  that  he  does  not  in¬ 
vite  all  men  to  come  to  him  in  a  faving  way,  and  that 
every  individual perfo'n ,  who- is,  through  His  gracious  in¬ 
fluence  on  his  heart,  made  willing  to  come  to  him, 
fhall,  looner  or  later,  he  furely  faved  by  him,  and  that 
with  an  everlafting  falvation.  (2.)  Man  is  not  excu- 
fable  for  negleffing  God’s.,  will  of  command.  Pharaoh 
was  faulty,  and  therefore  juftiy  punithable,  for  not 
obeying  God’s  revealed  will,  though  God’s  fecret  will 
rendered  that  obedience  impoffible.  Abraham  would 
have  committed  fin,  had  he  refufed  to  facrifice  Il'aac  ; 
and,  in  looking  to  God’s  fecret  w  ill,  would  have  ached 
counter  to  his  revealed  ohe.  So  Herod,  Pontius  Pilate, 
and  the  reprobate  jews,  were  juftiy  condemned  for  put¬ 
ting  Chrill  to  death,  inafmuch  as  it  was  a  mod  notori¬ 
ous  breach  of  God’s  revealed  will,  “  Thou  lhalt  do  no 
“  murder  yet,  in  flaying  the  Meffiah,  they  did  no 
more  than  God’s  hand  and  his  counfcl ,  i.  e.  his  fecret, 
ordaining  will,  determined  before  f-ouldbe  done.  Acts  iv. 
27,  28.  and  Judas  is  juftiy  puniihed  for  perfidioufly  and 
wickedly  betraying  Chrift,  though  his  perfidy  and  wick- 
tdnefs  were  (but  not  with  his  delign)  fublervient  to  the 
accompliihiTient  of  the  decree  and  word  of  God. 

The  brief  of  the  matter  is  this  ;  fecret  things  be¬ 
long  to  God,  and  thofe  that  are  revealed  belong  to  us  : 
therefore,  when  we  meet  with  a  plain  precept,  we 
fl.ould  Amply  endeavour  to  obey  it,  without  tarrying  to 

enquire 


[  22  ] 

enquire  into  God’s  hidden  purpofe.  Venerable  Bitter,, 
after  taking  notice  how  God  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart, 
and  making  fome  oblervations  on  the  A  po  file’s  iimile 
of  a  potter  ana  his  clay  ;  adds,  *  that  ‘  Though  God 
‘  has  at  lead  the  fame  right  over  his  creatures,  and  is 

*  at  liberty  to  make  them  what  he  will,  and  dtreifl  them 
‘  to  the  end  that  pleafeth  himfelt,  according  to  his  fo- 
‘  vereign  and  fecret  determination  ;  yet  it  by  no  means 
‘  follows,  that  they  do  not  aft  freely  and  fpontaneoully, 
‘  or  that  the  evil  they  commit  is  to  be  charged  on  God.’ 

Pof.  4.  God’s  hidden  will  is  peremptory  and  abfolute  : 
and  therefore  cannot  be  hindred  from  taking  elled. 

God’s  will  is  nothing  elfe  than  God  himfelf  willing  : 
confequently,  it  is  omnipotent  and  unfruftrable.  Hence 
w.e  find  it  termed,  by  Auftin  and  the  fchoolmen,  volun¬ 
tas  omnipotentijjima ;  becaufe,  whatever  God  Wills,  can¬ 
not  fail  of  being  effected.  This  made  Auftin  fay,  f 
‘  Evil  men  do  tnany  things  contrary  to  God’s  revealed 

*  will  ;  but  fo  great  is  his  wifdorn,  and  fo  inviolable  his 
‘  truth,  that  he  dircdls  all  things  into  thofe  channels 
‘  which  he  foreknew.’  And  again,  |  ‘  No  freewill  of 

*  the  creature  can  refill  the  will  of  God  ;  for  man  can- 

*  not  fo  will,  or  nill,  as  to  obllruff  the  divine  determi- 

*  nation,  or  overcome  the  divine  power.’  Once  more,  || 

‘  It  c.mnot  be  queftioned,  blit  God  does  all  things,  and 

*  ever  did,  according  to  his  own  purpofe  ;  the  human 
‘  will  cannot  refill  him,  fo  as  to.make  him  do  more  or 
‘  lefs  than  it  is  his  pleafure  to  do  ;  quandoquidem  etiani 
‘  de  ipjis  hominum  voluntatibus  quod  vult  facit ,  fince  he 
‘  does  what  he  pleafes  even  with  the  wills  of  men.’ 

Pof.  6.  Whatever  comes  to  pals,  comes  to  pafs  by  vir¬ 
tue  ot  this  abfolute,  omnipotent  will  of  God,  which  is 
the  primary  and  iupreme  caufe  of  all  things.  Rev.  iv, 

1 1.  “  Thou  hall  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  plea- 
“  fure  they  are  and  were  created.”  Pfalm  cxv.  3.  “  Our 
“  God  is  in  the  heavens ;  he  hath  done  whatloever  he 
“  pleafed.”  Dan.  iv.  3 r.  “  He  doth  according  to  his 
“  will,  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabi- 
“  tants  of  the  earth  ;  and  none  can  Hay  his  hand,  or 

“  fa  y 

*  Bucer  ad  Rom.  ix.  -f-  De  Civ.  Dei.  1.  22.  c.  1. 

£  De  Coir.  &  Grat.  c.  14.  |j  Ibid. 


[  s3  ] 

u  fay  unto  him,  What  dofl  thou  ?”  Pfalm  c xsxv.  6. 
“  V/hatfoever  the  Lord  pleafed,  that  did  he  in  heaven, 
4‘  and  in  earth,  in  the  feas,  and  all  deep  places.”  Mat. 
2.  29.  “  Are  not  two  fparrovvs  fold  lor  a  farthing?  and 
“  one  of  them  (hall  not  fall  to  the  ground,  without  your 
■“  father.”  To  all  .which,  Ault’n  iubfcribes,  when  he 
fays,  *  ‘  Nothing  is  done,  Jbut  what  the  Almighty 
c  wills  Ihould  be  done,  either  efficiently  or  permiffively.5 
As  does  Luther,  whofe  words  are  thefe,  -j-  ‘  This  there- 
‘  fore  muft  hand  ;  to  wit,  the  tinfearchable  will  of 
4  God,  without  which  nothing  exifts  or  adds.’  And 
again,  c.  160.  ‘  God  would  not  be  luch,  if  he  was  not 
‘  almighty,  and  if  any  thing  could  be  done  without 

*  him.’  And  el fe where,  c.  1 38,.  he  quotes  thefe  words 
of  Erafmus  :  ‘  Suppoling  there  was  an  earthly  Prince 
4  who  could  do  whatever  he  would,  and  none  were  able 
4  to  refill  him ;  we  might  fafely  lay  of  fuch  an  one,  that 
4  he  would  certainly  fulfil  his  own  delire  :  in  like  man- 

*  ner,  the  will  of  God,  which  is  the  firft  caufe  of  all 
4  things,  fhould  feem  to  lay  .3  kind  of  neceffity  upon 
4  our  wills.’  This  Luther  approves  of,  and  fubjoins, 

‘  Thanks  be  to  God,  for  this  orthodox  paflage  in  Eraf- 
4  mus’s  difcourfe  !  But,  if  this  be  true,  what  becomes 
®  of  his  doffrine  of' free-will,  which  be,  at  other  times, 
4  fo  llrenuoufly  contends  for  ?’ 

P of.  7.  The  will  of  God  is  fo  the  caufe  of  all  things., 
as  to  be,  itfelf,  without  caufe  :  for  nothing  can  be  the 
caufe  of  that,  which  is  the  caufe  o.f  every  thing. 

So  that  the  divine  will  is  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  all  our 
enquiries  :  when  we  afcend  to  that,  we  can  go  no  far¬ 
ther.  Hence  we  find  every  matter  refolved,  ultimately, 
into  the  mere  fo-vereign  pleafure  of  God ,  as  the  fpring  and 
occafion  of  whatfoever  is  dope  in  heaven  and  earth. 
Mat.  xi.  2$.  “  Thou  haft  hid  thefe  things  from  the 
•“  wife  and  prudent,  and  halt  revealed  them  unto  babes: 
“  even  fo,  Father,  for  fo  it  leemed  good  in  thy  fight.” 
Luke  xii.  32.  “  It  is  your  Father’s  good  pl$afure  to 

give  you  the  kingdom.”  Mat.  viii.  3.  “  I  will  :  be 
“  thou  clean.”  Mark  iii.  13.  “  He  went  up  into  a 
“  mountain,  and  called  unto  him  whom  he  would.’* 

Jmh. 

*  Tom.  3.  in  Enchir.  f  De  SefV,  Arb.  c.  143. 


In) 

Jnm.  i.  1 8.  “  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us,  with  the 
“  word  of  truth.”  John  i.  13.  “  Which  were  born, 
“  net  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flelh,  nor  of  the 
“  will  of  man,  but  ot  God.”  Rom.  ix.  i£,  18.  “  I  will 
“  have  mercy  on  whom  I  will  1  ave  mercy,  and  I  will 
“  have  compaffion  on  -/horn  I  will  have  companion. 
“  Therefore,  he  hath  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have 
“  mercy,  and  whom  he  will  he  hardneth.”  And  no 
wonder  that  the  will  of  God  ibould  be  the  main  fpring 
that  lets  all  inferior  wheels  in  motion,  and  Ihould  like- 
wile  be  the  rule  by  which  he  goes  in  all  his  dealings 
with  his  creatures ;  lince  nothing  out  of  God,  i.  e.  ex¬ 
terior  to  himfelf,  can  pollibly  induce  him  to  will  or  nill 
one  thing,  rather  than  another.  Deny  this,  and  you  at 
one  ib'oke,  deftroy  his  immutability  and  independency: 
lince  he  can  never  be  independent,  who  adds pro  re  natay 
as  emergency  requires,  and  whole  will  is  l'ulpended  on 
that  of  others  ;  nor  unchangeable,  whofe  purpofes  vary 
and  take  all  fhapes,  according  as  the  perfbn  and  things 
vary,  who  are  the  objedls  ot  thofe  purpofes.  The  only 
realbn,  then,  that  can  be  affigned,  Why  the  Deity  does 
this,  or  omits  that,  is,  lecaufe  it  is  bis  own  free  plcafure. 
Luther,  *  in  anlvver  to  that  queltion,  ‘  Whence  it  was 
‘  that  Adam  was  permitted  to  fall,  and  corrupt  his  whole 
‘  polferity  ;  when  God  could  have  prevented  his  fall- 
‘  ing,’  &c.  fays,  ‘  God  is  a  being,  whofe  will  acknow- 
‘  ledges  no  caufe  ;  neither  is  it  for  us  to  preferibe  rules 
‘  to  his  fovereign  pleafure,  or  call  him  to  account  for 
‘what  he  does.  Pie  has  neither  fuperior  nor  equal  : 

‘  and  his  will  is  the  rule  of  all  things.  He  did  not 
‘  therefore  will  fuch  and  fuch  things,  becaufe  they 
‘  were  in  themfelves  right,  and  he  was  bonrir  to  will  them; 

‘  but  they  are  therefore  equitable  and  right,  becaufe 
‘  he  wills  them.  The  will  of  man,  indeed  may  be  in- 
*  fiuenced  and  moved  ;  but  God’s  will  never  can.  To 
‘  afiert  the  contrary,  is  to  unfeijy  him.’  Eucer  likewile 
obferves,-;-  ‘  God  has  no  other  motive  for  w  hat  he  does, 

‘  than  ipfa  voluntas ,  his  own  mere  will,  which  will  is  fo 
‘  far  trorn  being  unrighteous,  that  it  is  juflice  itfelf.’ 
Tof.  8.  Since,  as  was  lately  obferved,  the  determin¬ 
ing 

*  De  Serv.  Arb.  c.  153.  t  Ad  Rom.  ix. 


C  25  1 

Srsg  will  of 'God,  being  omnipotent,  cannot  be  obftrueL 
ed  or  made  void  ;  it  follows,  that  he  never  did,  nor  does 
he  now  will  that  every  individual  of  mankind  fnould  be 
laved. 

If  this  was  his  will,  not  one  Angle  foul  could  ever  be 
loft  ;  (for  who  hath  refitted  his  will  ?)  and  he  would 
lu rely  afford  all  men  thofe  effectual' means  of  falvation, 
without  which  it  cannot  be  had.  Now,  God  could  af¬ 
ford  thefe  means  as  eafily  to  all  mankind,  as  to  fome 
only  :  but  experience  proves  that  he  does  not-,  and  the 
reafon  is  equally  plain,  namely,  that  he  null l  not  ;  for, 
“  whatfoever  the  Ldrd  pleafeth,  that  does  he  in  hea- 
44  ven  and  on  earth.”  ’Tis  laid  indeed  by  the  Apoftle, 

1  that  44  God  would  have  all  men  laved,  and  come  to  the 
“  knowledge  of  the  truth  i  e.  as  Auftin,  *  coniift- 
ently  with  other  fcriptures,  explains  the  palfage,  ‘  God 
4  will  fave  fome  out  of  the  whole  race  of  mankind/ 
that  is,  perfons  of  all  nations,  kindreds  and  tongues. 
Nay,  he  will  lave  all  men,  /.  e.  as  the  lame  father  ob- 
ferves,  ‘  every  kind  of  men,  or  men  of  every  kind,’ 
namely,  the  whole  election  oF  grace,  be  they  bond  or 
free,  noble  or  ignoble,  rich  or  poor,  male  or  female. 
Add  to  this,  that  it  evidently  militates  againft  the  moje- 
fty,  omnipotence  and  fupremacy  of  God,  to  fuppoie 
that  he  can  either  will- any  thing  in  vain,  or  that  any 
thing  can  take'effatt  -agalnfl  bis  will ;  therefore,  Bucer 
obferves,  very  rightly,  ad  Rom.  ix.  ‘  God  doth  not  will 
4  the  falvation  of  reprobates ;  feeing  he  hath  not  chofen 
4  them,  neither  created  them  to  that, end.’  Confonant 
to  which  are  thofe  words  of  Luther,  f  ‘  This  mightily 
(  offends  our  rational  nature,  that  God  fhould,  of  his 
4  own  mere  unbiased  will,  leave  fome  men  to  them- 
‘  felves,  harden  them,  and  then  condemn  them  ;  but 
‘  he  has  given  abundant  demonftrafion,  and  does  con- 
4  tinually,  that  this  is  really  the  cafe  ;  namely,  that  the 
4  foie -ca  ufe,  why  fome  are  faved  and  others  perifn,  pfo- 
4  ceeds  from  his  willing  the  falvation  of  the  former,  and 
4  the  perdition  of  the  latter,  according  to  that  of  Paul/ 
C  “  He 

*  Enchir.  c.  103,  oc  de  Corr.  Si  Gr,  c.  14. 
f  De  Serv.  Arb.  c.  161. 


C  2.6  ] 

■f  He  hath  mercy  on  w  hom  he  vviii  have  mercy,  and 
■  ‘  whom  he  will  he  hardneth.” 

FoJ'%  9.  As  God  doth  not  will  that  each  individual  of 
mankind  frould  he  faved  ;  fo  neither  did"  he  w  ill  that 
Chrift  fhould  properly  and  immediately  die  tor  each 
Individual  of  mankind  :  w  hence  it  follows,  that  though 
the  blood  of  Chrili^from  its  own  intrinlic  dignity,  was 
fofficiait  for  the  redemption  of  all  men  ;  yet,  in  confe- 
quence  of  his  Father’s  appointment,  he  feed  it  intention¬ 
ally,  and  therefore  ef'cFiiiatly  and  immediately  for  the  elect 
only. 

This  is  felf-evident.  God,  as  ;ve  have  before  prov¬ 
ed,  wills  not  the  falvation  of  etcry  man  ;  but  he  gavp 
his  Fon  to  die  for  them  whofe  lalvation  he  willed; 
therefore,  his  Son  did  not  die  for  every  man.  AH 
thofe,  tor  whom  Chilli  died,  are  faved  ;  and  the  divine 
juftice  inchlpenfabl}'  requires,  that  to  them  the  benefits 
of  his  death  Should  be  imparted  :  but  only  the  eh<51  are 
laved;  they  only  partake  of  thofe  benefits;  confie- 
quently,  for  them  only  he  died  and  intercedes.  The 
/rpoftle,  Kern.  viii.  afksji  “  Who  •.hall  lay  any  thing  to 
*■  the  charge  of  God’s  eledl  ?  it  is  God  that  jufiifies,” 
z,  e.  l.is  elcdt,  exclufively  of  others  :  “  Who  is  he  that 
*•  condemr.eth  ?  It  is  Chrifi  that  died”  for  them,  ex¬ 
clufively  of  others.  The  plain  meaning  of  the  paf- 
fage  is,  that  thofe  whom  God  jufiifies,  and  for  whom 
Ghrift  died  (jiiflification  and  redemption  being  of  ex- 
t.flly  the  fame  extent)  cannot  be  condemned.  Thefe 
privileges  are  exprefsly  re  ft  rained  to  the  el  eft  ;  there- 
iore  Gcd  jufiifies  and  Chrill  died  for  them  , alone. 

In  the  fame  chapter,  Paul  afks  ;■  “  lie  that  fpared 
“  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  11s  all,” 
[/.  e.  for  all  us‘ekdl  perfor.s]  “  how  fl  ail  he  not,  with 
'•  him,  alio  freely  give  us  all  things  f”  /.  c.  falvation, 
end  till  things  necefiary  to  it.  Now,  ’tis  certain,  that 
t qcie  are  not  given  to  every  individual  ;  and  yet,  if 
Paul  fays  true,’  they  are  given  to  all  thofe  for  whom 
(.  brill  was  dilivercd  to  death  ;  ccnfequently,  he  was 
ret  delivered  to  death  for  every  individual.  To  the 
W.r  e  jurpefe  St.  Aufiin  argues,  in  Jcban,  trcFl.  4 p 

col. 


[  n  i 

col.  334.  lienee  that  faying  of  Airibrofe,  *  1  Si  M'.t 

*  creJis  non  till pajftus  eft,  L  e.  if  you  are  an  unbeliever, 
‘  Chrifi  did  not  die  tor  you.5  Meaning,  that  whoever 
is  left  under  the  power  of  final  Unbelief,  is  thereby  evi¬ 
denced  to  be  one  of  thole  tor  whom  Chriit  did  not  die  ; 
but  that  all,  tor  whom  he  buffered,  (hall  be,  in  this  life, 
fooner  or  later,  endued  with  faith.  The  church  of 
Smyrna,  in  their  letter  to  the  dlccefes  of  Pdntus,  infi't 
every  where  on  the  d  offline'  of  tpecial  redemption  f . 
Bucer,  in  all  parts  of  his  works,  obferves,  that  1  Chriit 

*  died  refiruffively  for  the  eleeff  only  j  but  tor  them  uni- 
‘  vcrfally.5 

Fof.  io.  From  what  has  been  laid  down,  it  follows, 
that  Auftin,  Luther,  Bucer,  the  fcholaftie  divines,  and 
other  learned  writers,  are  not  to  be  blamed  lor  alien¬ 
ing,  that  ‘  God  may,  in  foine  feme  be  faid  to- will  the 
‘  being  and  commiifioa  of  fin.’  For,  was  this  contra!  .<■ 
t  >  his  determining  will  of  perniiifion,  either  he  won  .1 
not  be  omnipotent,  or  fin  could  have  no  place  in  the 
world  :  but  he  is  omnipotent,  and  fin  has  piece  in  tied 
World  :  which  it  could  not  have  if  God  willed  other- 
wife  ;  lor,  “  Who  hath  refitted  his  will  r”  Rom.  ir. 
No  one  can  deny  that  God  permits  fin  :  but  he  neither 
permits  it  ignorantly  nor  •  unwillingly  ;  therefore, 
knowingly  and  willingly.  Gib.7.  Au lb.  Ench’r.  c.  g6» 
Luther  ftedfaffly  maintains  this  in  -his  book,  De  Scrv. 
Arbitr.  and  Bucer,  in  Rom.  i.  However,  it  Ihquld  bo 
carefully  noticed,  (i.)  That  God’s  permilfion  off i 
does  not  arife  from  his  taking  dclhht  in  it  :  on  the  cor.- 
trary,  fin,  as  fin,  is  the  abominable  thing  that  his  foul 
hateth  :  and  his  efficacious  permilfion  of  it  is  for  wife 
and  good  purpofes.  Whence  that  obfervation  of  Aaftin, 
l  (  God,  who  is  no  lefs  omnipotent,  than  he  is  fu- 
‘  preinely  and  perfectly  holy,  would  never  have  pe.  - 
‘  initted  evil  to  enter  among  his  works,  but  in  order 
4  that  he  might  do  good  even  with  that  evil,5  i.  e.  over¬ 
rule  it  for  good  in  the  end.  (2.)  That  God’s"  free  and 
voluntary  permilfion  of  fin  lays  no  man  under  any  fo.  - 
able  or  compulfive  necelfity  ol  committing  it  :  confc- 
C  2  quently, 

*  Ambrof.  tom.  2.  de  fid.  ad  Grat.  1.  4.  c.  i. 
t  Vid.  Eufcb.  hilt,  1.  4.  c.  10.  j  Eavhir,  c,  1 1. 


[  =8  ] 

/fluently,  the  Deity  can  by  no  means  be  termed  the  au¬ 
thor  of  moral  evil ;  to  which  he  is  not,  in  the  proper 
fenfe  of  the  word,  accefiary,  but  only  remotely  or  ne¬ 
gatively  fo,  inafmuch  as  lie  could,  if  he  plealed,  abfo- 
lutely  prevent  it. 

V\  e  fhould,  therefore,  be  careful  not  to  give  up  the 
omnipotence  of  God,  under  a  pretence  of  exalting  his 
hoiineis :  he  is  infinite  in  both,  and  therefore  neither 
Gould  be  let  alide  or  obfcurecf.  To  fay  that  God  .•  fo - 
lutely  nills  the  being  and  commiif  on  of  fin,  while  expe¬ 
rience  convinces  us  that  fin  is  adfed  every  day  ;  is  to 
represent  the  Deity  as  a  weak,  impotent  being,  who 
would  fain  have  tfrings  go  otherwise  then  they  do,  but 
cannot  accomplilh  his  defire.  On  the  other  hand,  to 
Jay  that  he  wiileth  fin,  doth  not  in  the  lealb  detracf  from 
the  hoiineis  and  reblitudc  of  his  nature ,  becaufe, 
whatever  God  wills,  as  well  as  whatever  he  does,  can¬ 
not  be  eventually  evil  :  materially  evil  it  may  be;  bntv 
as  was  juft  faid,  it  mult  ultimately  be  diredted  to  fome 
wife  and  juft  end,  otherwile  he  could  not  will  it  :  for 
his  will  is  righteous  and  gocd,  and  the  foie  rule  of  tight 
and  wrong,  as  is  often  obferved  byr  Aufiin,  Luther, 
and  others. 

Pof  1 1.  In  confequence  of  God’s  immutable  will 
and  infallible  foreknowledge,  whatever  things  come  to- 
pals,  come  to  pafs  neccfarily  ;  though,  with  refpect  to 
fecond  caufes,  and  us  men,  many  things  are  contingent: 
i.  e.  unexpc&ecl ,  and  fccwingly  accidental. 

That  this  was  the  dc&rine  of  Luther,  none  can  de¬ 
le-,  who  are  in  any  meafure  acquainted  with  his  works: 
particularly  with  his  treatife,  De  Servo  Arlitrio-,  or,. 
Free-will  a Jlave  :  the  main  drift  cf  which  book  is,  to 
prove,  that  the.  will  of  man  is  by  nature  enfiaved  to  evil 
'  only,  and,  becaufe  it  is  fond  of  that  flavery,  is  therefore 
laid  to  be  free.  Among  other  matters,  he  proves  there, 
that  4  Whatever  man  does,  he  does  nc erf drily,  though 
‘  not  with  snyT  feniible  eompulfion  :  and  that  w  e 'can  only 
‘  do  H'hat  God  from  eternity  w'illed  and  foreknew  we 
‘  f  iiSJ;  which  w  ill  of  God  muft  be  efiectual,  and  his 
4  (brefight  muft  be  certain.’  Hence  we  find  him  faying,* 

4  It 

-  Cap.  17.  in  Refp.  ad  Praef. 


C  29  ] 

8  It  is  moll  neeelTary  and  falutary  tor  a  Chrifoan  to  be 
8  allured,  that  God  foreknows  nothing  uncertainly  ;  but 
8  that  he  determines,  and  forefees,  and  affs,  in  all  things 
8  according  to  his  own  etern  al,  immutable,  and  infallible 
8  will adding,  8  Hereby,  as  with  a  thunderbolt,  is 
8  man’s  free-will  thrown  down  and  deflroyed.’  A  little 
after,  he  (hews  in  what  fenle  he  took  the  word  nceejjitj  ; 

8  By  it,’  fays  he,  8  I  do  not  mean  that  the  will  hitlers 
8  any  forcible  conjlraint ,  or  co-acbion ;  but  the  infallible 
8  accomplishment  of  thole  things,  which  the  immutable 
8  Go  1  decreed  and  foreknew  concerning  us.’  H ;  goes 
on  :  8  Neither  the  divine  nor  human  will  does  any 
8  thing  by  confoaint :  but,  whatever  man  does,  be  it 
8  good  or  bad,  he  does  with  as  much  appetite  and  wil- 
6  lingnefs,  as  if  his  will  was  really  free.  But,  after  all, 

8  the  will  of  God  is  certain  and  unalterable,  and  is  the 
8  governefs  of  ours.’  Exactly  eon  ion  ant  to  all  which 
are  thole  words  of  Luther’s  friend  and  fellow  labourer, 
Melandihon  :  *  8  All  things  turn  out  according  to  di- 
8  vine  predefonatioii ;  not  only  the  Works  wc  do  out- 
8  wardiy,  but  even  the  thoughts  we  think  inwardly 
adding,  in  the  fame  place,  8  There  is  no  fuch  thing  as 
8  chance  or  fortune ;  nor  is  there  a  readier  way  to  gain 
8  the  fear  of  God,  and  to  put  our  whole  tru'd  in  him, 

8  than  to  be  thoroughly  verfed  in  the  dobtrine  or  Pre- 
8  defoliation.’  I  could  cite  to  the  fame  purpofe,  Aullin, 
Aquinas,  and  many  other  learned  men;  but,  for  bre¬ 
vity’s  fake,  forbear.  That  this  is  the  doctrine  of  Scrip¬ 
ture,  every  adept  in  thofe  facred  books  cart  not  ■but  ac¬ 
knowledge.  See,  particularly,  Pfalm  cxxxv.  6.  Mafth. 
x.  29.  Prov.  xvi.  1.  Matth.  xxvi.  ^4.  Luke  xxii.  2;. 
Abts  iv.  28.  Eph.  i.  ir.  Ifai.  xlvi.  10. 

Pof  12.  As  God  knows  nothing  now,  which  he 
did  not  know  from  all  eternity ;  fo  he  wills  nothing 
now,  which  he  did  not  will  from  everlafong. 

This  polition  needs  no  explanation  nor  enforcement; 
it  being  felf-evident,  that,  if  any  thing  can  accede  to 
God  de  novo ,  i,  e.  if  he  can  at  any  time  be  wifer  than 
he  always  was,  or  will  that  at  one  time,  which  he  did 
not  will  from  all  eternity  ;  thefe  dreadful  conlcquences 
C  3  mu  ft 

*  In  Eph.  1. 


[  30  1 

jiniu  rnfue,  (i.)  That  the  knowledge  of  God  is  not 
peri-eft,  farce  what  is  absolutely  perfeCf  non  recipit tnagis 
&  minus,  cannot  admit  either  of  addition ,  or  detraction. 
It  I  add  to  any  thing,  it  is  from  a  fuppofal  that  that 
thing  was  not  complete  before  ;  ill  detra  ti  from  it,  it 
is  fuppofed  that  that  detraction  renders  it  lefs  perfect 
than  it  was.  But  the  knowledge  of  God  being  infinitely 
perfect,  cannot,  conliltently  with  that  perfection,  be 
either  increafed  or  leilened.  (2.)  That  the  will  of  God 
is  fluctuating,  mutable  and  unfteady  ;  confequently,  that 
God  himfelf  is  fo,  his  will  coinciding  with  his  eifence  : 
contrary  to  the  avowed  affurances  of  Scripture,  and  the 
ft rongeft  dictates  of  reafon,  as  we  frail  prefently  (hew, 
’.then  we  come  to  treat  of  the  divine  immutability. 

Pof.  13.  The  abfolute  will  of  God  is  the  original 
Spring  and  efficient  caufe  of  Ids  peoples’ falvation. 

I  fay,  the  original  and  efficient ;  for,  fenfu  complex 0, 
there  are  other  intermediate  caufes  of  their  falvation, 
winch  however,  all  refirit  from,  and  are  fubfervient  to 
this  primary  one,  the  •vdll  of  God.  Such  arc  his  ever- 
lafting  choice  of  them  to  eternal  life  ;  the  eternal  cove¬ 
nant  of  grace,  entered  into  by  the  Trinity,  in  behalf  of 
the  cleCf  ;  the  incarnation,  obedience,  death  and  inter- 
ceition  of  Chrift  for  them  ;  all  which  are  fo  many  links 
in  the  great  chain  of  caufes  :  and  not  one  of  thefe  can 
betaken  away,  without  marring  and  fubverting  the 
whole  gofpel  plan  of  falvation  by  Jeftts  Chrifr.  We  fee 
then,  that  the  free,  unbiased,  fovereign  will  of  God  is 
the  root  of  this  tree  of  life,  which  bears  fo  many  glori¬ 
ous  branches,  and  yields  fueh  falutary  fruits :  He  there¬ 
fore  loved  the  eleCf,  and  ordained  them’  to  life,  beeaufe 
lie  would  ;  according  to  that  of  the  Apoftle,  “  having 
“  predeltinafed  us— according  to  the  good  pleafure  of 
“  his  will.”  Eph.  i.  £.  Then,  next  after  God’s  covenant 
ihrhis  people,  and  promiles  to  them,  comes  in  the  infinite 
merit  of  Ch  rift’s  righteoufnefs  and  atonement :  for  we 
were  chofen  to  falvation  in  him,  as  members  of  hi3 
myrtle  body  ;  and  through  him,  as  our  furety  and  fub- 
ilitute,  by  whofe  vicarious  obedience  to  the  moral  law, 
an  l  fub million  to  its  curfe  and  penalty,  all  we,  whofe 
pa.nes  are  ir>  the  book  of  life,  ffiould  never  incur  the 

divine 


[  31  1 

divine  hatred,  or  be  punifhed  for  our  fins,  but  continue 
to  eternity,  as  vve  were  from  eternity,  heirs  of  God,  and 
joint-heirs  with  Chrift.  But  hill,  the  divine  grace  and 
favour  (and  God  extends  thefe  to  whom  he  will)  muff 
be  confidered  as  what  gave  birth  to  the  glorious  feheme 
of  redemption  ;  according  to  what  our  Lord  himfelf 
teaches  us,  John  iii.  16.  “  God  fo  loved  the  world, 

s‘  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,”  and  that  of 
the  Apoftle,  i  John  iv.  9.  “  In  this  was  manifeffed 

“  the  love  of  God  towards  us,  becaufe  that  he  fent  his 
“  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world,  that  we  might  live 
“  through  h'm.” 

Pnf]  14.  Since  this  abfolute  will  of  God  is  both  im¬ 
mutable  and  om.nipotent  ;  we  infer,  that  the  falvation 
of  every  one  of  the  eledf  is  moft  infallibly  certain ,  and 
can  by  no  means  be  prevented.  This  neeeffarily  fol¬ 
lows  from  what  we  have  already  aflerted  and  proved 
concerning  the  Divine  Will ;  which,  as  it  cannot  be 
dilappoiuted  or  made  void,  muff  undoubtedly  iecure 
the  falvation  of  all  whom  God  wills  Ihould  be  faved. 

From  the  whole  of  what  has  been  delivered  under 
this  fecond  head,  I  would  obferve,  That  the  genuine 
tendency  of  thele  truths  is,  not  to  make  men  indolent 
and  carelefs,  or  lull  them  to  deep  on  the  lap  of  pre¬ 
emption  and  carnal  iecurity  ;  but,  (1.)  To  fortify  the 
people  of.Chriff  againff  the  attacks  of  unbelief,  and  the 
infults  of  their  fpiritual  enemies.  And  what  is  fo  fit, 
to  guard  them  againff  thefe,  as  the  comfortable  perfua- 
fion  of  God’s  unalterable  will  to  fave  them,  and  of  their 
unalienable  intereff  in  the  fare  mercies  of  David  ?  (2.) 
To  withdraw  them  entirely  from  all  dependance  whe¬ 
ther  on  themfelves,  or  any  creature  whatever  ;  to  make 
them  renounce  their  own  righteoufnefs,  no  lefs  than 
their  fins,  in  point  of  reliance,  and  to  acquiefce  fweetly 
and  fafely  in  the  certain  perpetuity  of  his  rich  favour. 
(3.)  To  excite  them,  from  a  truff  of  his  good-will  to¬ 
ward  them,  to  love  that  God,  who  hath  given  fuch  great 
and  numberlefs  proofs  of  his  love  to  them ;  and,  in 
all  their  thoughts,  words  and  works,  to  aim,  as  much 
as  poffible,  at  his  honour  and  glory.  We  were  to  con- 
iider, 


ILL  The 


[  1 

III.  The  XJncbangeaileneJs ,  which  is  eiTentiaf  to  him-' 
felf  and  his  decrees. 

Pof.  i.  God  is  effentially  unchangeable  in  himfelf. 
Were  he  otherwife,  he  would  be  confefledly  imperfeft  ; 
f  nee  whoever  changes,  muff  change  either  tor  the  bet¬ 
ter,  or  for  the  worfe  :  whatever  alteration  any  being  un-^ 
dergocs,  that  being  mult,  ipfo  faffo,  either  become  mor ? 
excellent  than  it  was,  or  lofe  fome  of  the  excellency 
which  it  had.  But  neither  of  thefe  can  be  the  cafe  w  ith 
the  Deity  :  He  cannot  change  for  the  better,  for  that 
would  n  ceffarily  imply  that  he  was  not  perfectly  good 
before  :  He  cannot  change  for  the  worfe,  tor  then  he 
could  not  be  perfectly  good  after  that  change.  Ergo, 
God  is  unchangeable.  And  this  is  the  uniform  voice 
of  Scripture.  Mai.  iii.  6.  “  I  am  the  I.ord,  I  ch.mge 
“  not.”'  James  i.  17.  “  With  him  is  no  variablenefs, 
“  neither  lhadow  of  turning.”  Pfalrn  cii.  27.  “  Thou 
“  art  the  fame,  and  thy  years  lhall  have  no  end.” 

Pof.  2.  God  is  likewife  abfolutely  unchangeable, 
with  regard  to  his  purpofes  and  promfes .  Numb,  xxiii. 
19.  “  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  lhould  He  ;  neither 
“  the  fon  of  man,  that  he  lhould  repent:  hath  he  laid, 

“  and  (hull  he  not  do  it  ?  or,  hath  he  fpake,  and  fhall 
“  he  not  make  it  good?”  1  Sam.  xv.  29.  “  The  flrength 
“  of  Ifrael  will  not  lie,  nor  repent;  for  he  is  not  a  man, 

“  that  he  lhould  repent.”  job.  xxiii.  13.  “  He  is  in  one 
“  mind,  and  who  can  turn  him?”  Ezek.  xxiv.  14.  “  I, 

“  the  Lord,  have  fpoken  it,  it  {hall  come  to  pafs,  and 
“  I  will  do  it ;  I  will  not  go  back,  neither  will  I  fpare, 

“  neither  will  I  repent.”  Rom.  xi.  29,  “  The  gilts  and 
“  calling  of  God  are  without  repentance.”  2  Tim.  ii. 
13.  “  He  abideth  faithful,  and  cannot  deny  himfelf.” 

By  the  purpofe ,  or  decree ,  of  God,  we  mean  his  de¬ 
terminate  counf  1,  whereby  he  did  from  all  eternity  pre¬ 
ordain  ’whatever  he  lhould  do,  or  would  permit  to  be 
done,  in  time.  In  particular,  it  lignifies  his  everjalf- 
ing  appointment  of  fome  men  to  life,  and  of  others  to 
death:  which  appointment  flows  entirely  from  his  own 
free  and  fovereign  will.  Rom.  ix.  “  The  children  not 
“  yet  being  born,  neither  having  done  any  good  or 
s<  evil,  (that  the  purpofe  of  God,  according  to  ele dfion, 

“  might 

£> 


[  33  1 

“might  Hand,  not  of  works,  but  of,  him  that,  cal- 
“  leth)  it  was  faid,  the  eider  iha.il  ierve  the  younger,  : 
44  as  it  is  written,  Jacob  have  I  loved,  but  Eiau  hav^ 
“  I  hated.” 

The  apoftle,  then,  in  the  very  next  words,  antici¬ 
pates  an  objection,  which,  he  forefaw,  men  of  cor¬ 
rupt  minds  would  make  to  this :  “  Whatfhall  we  lay, 
44  then  ?  is  there  unrighteoufnefs  with  God  r”  which 
he  anfwers  with,  God  forbid !  and  refolves  the  whole 
of  God’s  procedure  with  his  creatines  into  his  own" 
fove reign  and  independent  will :  For  he  laid  to  Moles, 
44  1  will  have  mercy  on  whom  I  will  have  mercy,  and 
44  I  will  have  companion  on  whom  I  will  have  com- 
44  paffion.” 

We  albert,  that  the  decrees  of  God  are  not  only  im¬ 
mutable  as  to  himfelf  it  being  inconliflent  with  his 
nature  to  alter  in  his  puroofes,  or  change  his  mind  ; 
but  that  they  are  immutable  likewife  with  refpeft  to 
the  objeH  of  thofe  decrees :  fo  that,  whatfoever  God 
hath  determined,  concerning  every  individual  perfon 
or  thing,  fhallfurely  and  infallibly  be  accomplilhed  in 
and  upon  them.  Hence  we  find,  that  he  actually 
fiieweth  mercy  on  whom  he  decreed  to  (hew  mercy,  and 
hardeneth  whom  he  refolved  to  harden.  Rom.  ix  iS. 
44  For  his  eounfel  fliall  Hand,  and  he  will  do  all  his 
44  pleafure,”  Ifai.  xlvi.  io.  Confequently,  his  eternal 
predefiinat'on  of  men  and  things  mull  be  immutable 
as  himfelf,  and,  lo  far  from  being  reverfible,  can  never 
admit  ol  the  lead  variation. 

Pof.  3.  4  Although,’  to  ufe  the  words  of  Gregory, 
4  God  never  fwerves  from  his  decree,  yet  he  olten  va- 
4  ries  in  his  declarations  That  is  always  fure  and  im¬ 
moveable  ;  thefe  are  Ibmetimes  feemingly  difeordant. 
So,  when  he  gave  ■fentence  againft  the  Ninevites,  by 
Jonah,  faying,  44  Y e t  forty  days,  and  Nineveh  fhafl  be 
44  ove  thrown,”  the  meaning  of  the  words  is,  not  that 
God  abfblutely  intended,  at  the  end  of  that  Ipace,  to 
deftrov  the  city;  but,  that,  ihould  God  deal  with  thofe 
people  according  to  their  defects,  they  would  be  total¬ 
ly  extirpated  from  the  earth  :  a  id  flioald  be  fo  extir¬ 
pated,  unlefs  they  repented  lpceJily. 

Likewife, 


[  34  1 

Likewife,  when  he  told  King  Hezekiah,  by  the  pro¬ 
phet  Ifaiah,  “  Set  thine  houfe  in  order,  lor  thou  lhalt 
“  die,  and  not  live  the  meaning  was,  that,  with  rc- 
fpect  to  fecond  caufes,  and  confidering  the  King’s  bad 
Hate  of  health  and  emaciated  cor.ftitution,  he  could  not, 
humanly  lpeaking,  live  much  longer.  Eut  ilill,  the 
event  lhewed  that  God  had  immutably  determined,  that 
he  fnould  live  fifteen  years  more;  and,  in  order  to  that, 
had  put  it  into  his  heart  to  pray  for  the  blelling  decreed: 
juft  as,  in  the  cafe  ol  Nineveh,  lately  mentioned,  God 
had  refolved  not  to  overthrow  that  city  then  ;  and,  in 
order  to  the  accomplifl.ment  of  his  own  purpofe  in  a 
way  worthy  of  himfelf,  made  the  ml niftry  of  Jonah, 
the  means  ol  leading  that  pieople  to  repentance.  All 
which,  as  it  firevvs  that  God’s  abfolute  predeftination 
does  not  let  afide  the  ufe  ol  m.ans ;  fo  does  it  likewife 
prove,  that,  however  various  the  declarations  of  God 
may  appear  (to  wit,  when  they  proceed  on  a  regard 
had  to  natural  caufes)  his  counfels  and  defigns 
Hand  firm  and  immoveable,  and  can  neither  admit  of 
alteration  in  thcmfelves,  nor  ol  hindrance  in  their  exe¬ 
cution.  See  this  farther  explained  by  Bucer,  in  Rom. 
ix.  where  you’ll  find  the  certainty  of  the  divine  appoint¬ 
ments  folidly  aliened  and  unanfvverable  vindicated. 
We  now  come, 

IV.  To  confider  the  Omnipotence  of  God. 

Pof.  x.  God  is,  in  the  moll  unlimited  and  abfolute 
fenfe  of  the  word,  Almighty.  Jer.  xxxii.  17,  “Behold 
‘£  thou  haft  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth  by  thy 
“  great  powtr  and  ftretched  out  arm,  and  there  is  no- 
“  thing  too  hard  for  thee.”  Mat.  xix.  26.  “  With 
t£  God  all  things  are  pofiibie.”  Tfie  fchooimen,  very 
properly,  .  diftinguiih  the  Omnipotence  ol  God  into 
abfolute  and  adlttal :  by  the  former ,  God  m  :gbt  do  many 
things  which  he  does  not ;  by  the  latter ,  he  actually 
does  w  hatever  he  will.  For  inftance  ;  God  might,  by 
virtue  ol  ins  abfolute  power,  have  made  more  worlds 
than  he  has.  He  might  have  eternally  fared  every  in¬ 
dividual  ol  mankind,  without  reprobating  any  :  on  the 
other  hand,  he  might,  and  that  with  the  ftricleft  jutlice, 

have 


f  35  ) 

have  condemned  all  men,  and  fav.ed  none.  He  could, 
had  it  been  his  pleasure,  have  prevented  the  fall  of  an¬ 
gels  and  men,  and  thereby  have  hindred  iin  from  hav¬ 
ing  tooting  in  and  among  his  creatures.  By  virtue  of 
Ids  aflual  power,  he  made  the  univerfe  ;  executes  the 
whole  counfyl  of  his  will,  both  in  heaven  and  earth  ; 
governs  and  influences  both  men  and  things,  according 
to  his  own  pleafure ;  fixes  the  bounds  which  they  (hail 
not  pafs  ;  and,  in  a  word,  worketh  all  in  all,  Ifai.  xlv. 
7.  Amos.  iii.  6.  John  v.  17.  Affs.  xvii.  26. 
1  Cor.  xii.  6. 

Pof  2.  Hence  it  folio, ws,  that,  fince  all  things  are 
fubiect  to  the  divine  controul,  God  not  only  works  et- 
frcaeioufly  on  his  eie£f,  in  order  that  they  may  will  and 
do  that  which  is  pleating  in  his  light  ;  but  does,  1  ike- 
wife,  frequently  and  powerfully  fuffer  the  wicked  to 
fill  up  the  mealure  of  their  iniquities,  by  committing 
fins.  Nay,  lie  fometimes,  but  for  wife  and  gracious 
ends,  permits  his  own  people  to  tranfgrefs  ;  for  he  has 
the  hearts  and  wills  of  all  men  in  his  own  hand,  and  in¬ 
clines  them  to  good,  or  delivers  them  up  to  evil,  as  he 
fees  fit  :  yet  without  being  the  author  of  fin  ;  as  Lu¬ 
ther,  Bucer,  Auffin,  and  others,  have  piouily  and 
fcripturally  taught. 

This  polition  confifis  of  two  parts';  (1.)  That  God 
effieacigufiy  operates  on  the  hearts  of  his  elebl,  and  is 
the-eby  the  foie  author  of  all  the  good  they  do.  See 
Eph.  iii.  20.  Phil,,  ii.  13.  1  Thei.  ii.  13.  Heb.  xiii. 
c  1.  St.  Auiiin*  takes  up  no  fewer  than  nineteen  chap¬ 
ters,  in  proving  that  whatever  good  is  in  men,  and 
whatever  good  they  are  enabled  to  do,  is  folely  and  en¬ 
tirely  of  God  ;  who,  fays  he,  ‘  works  in  holy  perfons 
‘  all  their  good  deiires,  their  pious  thoughts,  and  their 
1  righteous  actions ;  and  yet  thefe  holy  perfons,  though 
‘  thus  wrought  upon  by  God,  will  and  do  all  thefe 
'  things  freely:  for  it  is  he  wh.o  rectifies  their  wills, 
4  which,  being  originally  evil,  are  made  good  by  him; 
f  and  which  wills,  after  he  hath  fet  them  right  and 
‘  made,  them  good,  he  dir&fts  to  good  affions  and  to 
eternal  life ;  wherein  he  does  not  force  their  wills, 

4  hut 

*  De  Grat.  &  lib.  Arb.  a  c.  x.  ufque  ad  c.  20. 


t  36  ] 

*  birf  makes' them  willing.’  (2.)  That  God  often  Iet3 
the  wicked  go  on  to  more  ungocUiriefs :  which  he  does, 
•I.  Negatively,  by  withholding  that  grace,  which  alone 
can  reft  rain  them  from  evil.  2.  Remotely,  by  the  pro¬ 
vidential  concourfe  and  mediation  of  fecond  caules  ; 
which  fecond  caufes  meeting  and  adt.rg  in  concert 
tvith  the  corruption  of  the  reprobate’s  unregenei  ate  na¬ 
ture,  produce  lipful  effedfs.  3.  Judically,  or  in  a 
way  ofjudgment.  Prov.  xxi.  1.  “  The  King's  heart 
“  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  as  the  rivers  of  waters ; 
“  Pie  turneth  it  whitherfoever  he  will:”  And  it  the 
“  King’s  heart,  why  not  the  hearts  of  all  men  r”Lam. 
iii.  38.  “  Out  of  the  month  of  the  Moll  High,  pro- 
“  ceedeth  not  evil  and  good  ?”  Hence  we  find,  that 
the  Lord  bid  Shimei  curfe  David,  2  Sam.  xvi.  10.  That 
he  moved  David  himfelf  to  number  the  people,  com¬ 
pare  1  Chron.  xxi.  1.  with  2  Sam.  xxiv.  1.  Stirred  up 
jofeph’s  brethren  to  fell  him  into  Egypt.  Gen.  1.  20. 
Pofitively  and  immediately  hardened  the  heart  of  Pha¬ 
raoh,  Ex.  iv.  21.  Delivered  up  David’s  wives  to  be 
defiled  by  Abfalom,  2  Sam.  xii.  1 1.  and  xvi.  2 2.  Sent 
by  a  lying  fpirit  to  deceive  Ahab,  1  Kings  xxii.  20— 
23.  And  mingled  a  perverfe  fpirit  in  the  m  i  did  of  Egypt, 

1.  e.  made  that  nation  pei  ven-e,  obdurate  and  fiiff-neck- 
ed,  Ifai.  xix.  r_p.  To  cite  other  infiances,  would  be  al- 
moft  endlefs,  and,  after  thefe,  quite  unnecefiary ;  all 
being  fumed  up  in  that  exprefs  pafiage,  Ifai.  xlv.  7.  “  I 
“  make  peace  and  create  evil  ;  I  the  Lord  do  all  thefe 
“  things,”  See  farther,  1  Sam.  xvi.  i_j.  Pfalm  cv.  2$. 
Jer.  xiii.  12,  13.  Adds  ii.  23.  and  iv.  28.  Rom.  xi.  8. 
2  Thelf.  ii.  11.  Every  one  of  which  implies  more  * 
than  a  hare  pertnijjiom  of  fin.  Bucer  afierts  this,  not  on¬ 
ly  in  the  place  referred  to  below,  but  continually 
throughout  his  works  :  particularly,  on  Matth.  vi.  § 

2.  where  this  is  the  fenle  of  his  comments  on  that  pe¬ 
tition,  Read  us  not  into  temptation  :  ‘  ’Tis  abundantly 
‘  evident,  from  moft  exprefs  tefiimonies  of  Scripture, 

‘  that  God,  occalionally,  in  the  courfeofhis  provi- 
‘  deuce,  pints  both  elect  and  reprobate  perfons  into  cir- 

‘  cumfiances 

*  Vid.  Auguftin.  de  Grat.  &  lib.  Arbitr.  c.  20.  & 
21.  &  Bucer  in  Rem.  1.  §  7. 


[  37  1 

*  cumftances  of  temptation  ;  by  which  temptation,  are 

*  meant,  not  only  thofe  trials  that  are  of  an  outward  af- 
4  flictive  nature ;  but  thole  alfo  that  are  inward  and 
‘  fpiritual  :  even  iuch  as  fliall  caufe  the  perfons  lb 
4  tempted,  actually  to  turn  alide  from  the  path  of  duty 
4  to  commit  fin',  and  involve  both  themfelves  and  others 
4  in  evil.  Hence  we  find  the  elect  complaining,  Ifai. 

4  lxiii.  17.’  “  O  Lord  why  halt  thou  made  us  to  err 
“  from  thy  ways,  and  hardened  our  hearts  from  thy 
“  fear  r”  4  But  there  is  alfo  a  kind  of  temptation, 

4  which  is  peculiar  to*  the  non-elebt;  whereby  God,  in 
4  a  way  ot  juft  judgment,  makes  them  totally  blind  and 
4  obdurate  ;  inaimuch  as  they  are  veli’els  of  wrath  fitted 
4  to  delft  ucf ion.’  See  alfo  his  expolition  of  Rom.  ix. 

Luther  *  reafons  to  the  very  fame  effeft  :  fome  of 
his  words  are  thefe,  4  It  may  leem  abfurd  to  human 
4  wifdejn,  that  God  Ihould  harden,  blind  end  deliver 
4  up  fome  men  to  a  reprobate  fenfe  ;  that  he  Ihould 
4  firlf  deliver  them  over  to  evil,  and  then  condemn 
4  them  for  that  evil  :  but  the  believing,  fpiritual  man 
4  fees  no  abfurdity  at  all  in  this  ;  knowing,  that  God 
4  would  be  never  a  whit  lefs  good,  even  though  he 
4  Ihould  deftroy  all  men.’  And  again  ;  4  God  worketh 
4  all  things  in  all  men ;  even  wickednefs  in  the  wicked ; 

4  tor  this  is  one  branch  ot  his  own  omnipotence.’  He 
very  properly  explains,  bow  God  may  be  faid  to  har¬ 
den  men,  &c.  and  yet  not  be  the  author  of  their  fin  : 

4  ’Tis  not  to  be  underilood,’  fays  he,  ‘  as  if  God  found 
4  men  good,  wife  and  tractable,  and  then  made  them 
4  foolilh  and  obdurate  ;  but  God  finding  them  deprav- 
4  ed,  judicially  and  powerfully  excites  them  juft  as  they 
4  are  (unlefs  it  is  his  will  to  regenerate  any  of  them) 
4  and,  by  thus  exciting  them,,  they  become  ?nore  blind 
4  and  obftinate  than  they  were  before.’  See  this  whole 
fubjeSt  debated  at  large,  in  the  places  laft  referred  to. 

Pof.  3.  God,  as  the  primary  and  efficient  canle  of  all 
things,  is  not  only  the  author  of  thofe  actions  done  by 
his  elect,  as  ailions  ;  but  alio  as  they  axe  good  actions  : 
whereas,  on  the  other  hanl,  though  he  may  be  faid  to 
be  the  author  of  all  the  a&ions  done'  by  the  wicked, 
D  .  yet 

;s  De  Serv.  Arb.  c.  8.  &  146.  &  147.  uftp  ad  c.  163. 


[  J 

.yet. he  is  not  the  author  of  them  in  a  moral  and compound 
fcvfe,  as  they  are  Jit  fid  ;  but  pbyfically,  Jimply,  and  foju 
tlivijb ,  as  they  are  mere  .aflions,  ab  ft  ratted  ly  from  all 
coni'xclcration  of  the  goodnefs  or  badnefs  of  them. 

Although  there  .is  no  action  whatever,  which  is  not, 
in  lome  fenfe,  .either  good  or  bad.;  yet  we  can  ealily 
conceive  of  an  adtion,  purely  as  Jlkcb,  without'  adverting- 
to  the  quality  of  it :  fo  that  the  diftindtion  between  aStien 
itfef  and  its  denomination  of  good  or  evil,  is  very  obvious 
and  natural. 

In  and  by  the  elect,  therefore.  Cod  wot  only  pro¬ 
duces  woiks  and  addons,  through  l\is  almighty  power  $ 
but  likewife,  through  th tfalutary  influences  or  his Spirit, 
firft  makes  their  perfons  good,  and  then  their  addons 
fo  too  :  but  in  and  by  .the  reprobate,  he  produces  ac¬ 
tions,  by  his  jiower  alone  ;  Which  adlions,  as  neither 
Tiling  from  faith,  nor  being  wrought  with  a  view  to 
the  divine  glow,  nor  done  in  the  manner  preferibedby 
the  divine  word,  are,  .on  thefe  accounts,  properly  deno¬ 
minated  evil.  Hence  we  fee,  that  God  does  not,  im¬ 
mediately  and  perfi ,  infufe  iniquity  into  the  wicked  ; 
.but,  as  Luther  .expreftes  it,  powerfully  excites  them  to 
idtion,  and  wibh-Jjolds  thofe  .gracious  influences  of  his 
.Spirit,  without  which  every  adtion  is  neceftarily  evil. 
That  God,  either  diredily  or  remotely,  excites  bad  men 
as  well  as  good  ones,  to  addon,  cannot  be  denied  by 
any  but  Alheifts,  or  by  thofe  who  carry  their  notions  of 
free-will  and  human  independency  fo  high,  as  to  ex¬ 
clude  the  Deity  from  all  adtual  operation  in  and  among 
his  creatures  ;  which  is. little  fl.ort  of  Atheifm.  Every 
work  performed,  whether  good  or  evil,  is  done  In 
jftrength,  and  by  power  derived  immediately  from  God 
hi  true  If,  “  in  whom  all  men  live,  move,  and  have 
“  their  being.”  Adfs  xvii.  a8.  As,  at  firft,  without 
.biin  was  not  any  thing  made,  which  .was  made.;  lb} 
now’,  without  him  is  not  any  thing. done,  w  hich  is  done. 
We  have  no  power  or  faculty,  whether  corporal  cr  in¬ 
tellectual,  but  what  we  received  from  God,  fubfilis  by 
.him,  and  is  exercifed  in  fubferviency  to  bis  will  and 
epypiotment.  Tis  he  who  created,  frefaves^a-fluates 
.  and 


f:  *5  T 

ancfd'redls  all  tilings.  But  it  by  no  means  follow's,  from' 
thefe  premifes,  that  God  is  therefore  the  caufe  of  fin  ; 
for  fm  is  nothing  but  illegality ,  “  want  of  conformity 
“  to  the  divine  law.”  i  John  iii.  4.-  a  mere  privation 
of  rectitude  :  confequently,  being  itfelf,  a  thing  purely 
negative,  it  can  have  no- positive  or  efficient  caufe,  but 
only  a  negative  and  deficient  one  ;  as  fevered  learned' 
men  have  older ved. 

Every  adtion,  as  fuch,  is  undoubtedly  good  ;  it  be¬ 
ing  an  aftual  exertion  of  thole  operative  powers  given! 
us  by  God  for  that  very  end  :  God  therefore  may  be 
the  author  of  all  actions,  (as  he  undoubtedly  is)  and  yet 
not  be  the  author  of  evil.  An  adtion  is  conftituted  evih 
three  ways-;  by  proceeding  from  a  wrong  principle,' by 
being  directed  to  a  wrong  end,  and  by  being  dofee  in  a’ 
wrong  manner.  Now?  though  God,  as  we  lis-ve  faid,  is- 
the  efficient  caufe  of  out  addons,  as  actions  ;  yet  if 
thefe  actions  commence  Jtnfal,  that  fiafulnefs  arifes' 
from  ourfelves.  Suppofe  a  boy,  who  knows  not  how  to' 
write,  has  his  hand  guided  by' his  mailer,  and  never¬ 
theless  makes  falle  letters,  quite  unlike  the  copy  let 
him;  though  bis- preceptor,  who  guides  his  hand,  is- 
the  caufe  of  his  writing  at  all ,  yet  his  own  ignorance 
and  imlkilfulnefs  are  the  caufe  of  his  writing  /«  badly  e 
Juft  fo,  God  is  the  fupreme  author  of  our  addon,  ab- 
Jlratlcdly  taken  ;  but  our  own  vitiofity  is  the  caufe  of 
our  adding  amide 

I-  ffiall  conclude  this  article,  with  two  or  three  obser¬ 
vations.  And,  (1.)  I  would  infer,  that  if  we  would’ 
maintain  the  do  ft  fine  ot  God’s  anmibcUHcc,  \vh  niuft 
in  lift  upon  that  of  his  univerfal  agency  :  the  darter  can¬ 
not  be  denied  without  giving  up  the  former.  Difprove 
that  he  is  almighty,  and  then  we’ll  grant  that  his  influ-' 
ence  and'  operations  are  limited  and'  ciicumfcribed. 
Luther  fays,  *  ‘  God  would  not  be  a  refpeCf  ible  Being, 

‘  if  he  were  not  almighty,  and  the  doer  cf  alhthingr 
‘  that  are  done  ;  or  if  any  thing  could  come  to-pafs,  in- 
*  which  he  had-  no  hand.’  God  has,  at  leaft,  a  phyfual 
influence  on  whatfoever  is  done  by  his  creatures,  whe¬ 
ther  trivial  or  important,  good  or  evil.  Judas  as  truly 
I>  2  lived./, 

*  De  Serv.  Arb.  c.  160. 


[  4°  1 

lived,  moved  and  had  hh  being  from  God,  as  Peter; 
and  Satan  himiell,  as  much  as  Gabriel  ;  for,  to  fay  that 
fin  exempts  the  (inner  from  the  divine  government  and 
jurifdidtiori,  is  abridging  the  power  of  God  with  a  vvit- 
nefs  ;  nay,  is  razing  it  from  its  very  foundations. 

( 2 .)  This  do&rine  of  God’s  omnipotence  has  a  na¬ 
tive  tendency  to  awaken  in  our  hearts  that  reverence  for, 
and  tear  of  the  divine  Majelly,  which  none  can  either 
receive  or  retain,  but  thole  who  believe  him  to  be  in¬ 
finitely  powerful,  and  to  work  ail  things  after  the  coun- 
fel  of  his  own  will.  This  godly  fear  is  a  fovereign  an¬ 
tidote  againll  fin  ;  for,  if  I  really  believe  that  God,  by 
his  unintermitted  operation  upon  my  foul,  produces  ac¬ 
tions  in  me,  which,  being  (imply  good,  receive  their 
malignancy  from  the  corruption  of  my  nature  (and 
even  thofe  works  that  (land  oppoiedtto  fins,  are,  more 
er  lefs,  infected  with  this  moral  leprofy)  and  if  I  confi- 
e'er,  that,  Ihould  1  yield  myielf  a  ffave  to  a£lual  iniqui¬ 
ty,  God  can,  and  julily  might,  as  he  has  frequently 
done  by  others,  give  me  up  to  a  reprobate  mind,  and 
pii nub  one  fin,  by  leaving  me  to  the  commiffion  of  an¬ 
other  ;  furely  fuch  reflections  as  thefe  mud  fill  me  with 
awful  apprehenfions  of  the  divine  purity,  power  and 
greatnefs,  and  make  me  watch  continually,  as  well- 
againll  the  inward  rifings,  as  the  outward  appearance  of 
evil.  _  . 

(3.)  This  do&rine  is  alfo  ufefol,  as  it  tends  to  in- 
fpire  ns  with  true  humility  of  ioui,  and  to  lay  us,  as  im¬ 
potent  dull  and  allies,  at  the  feet  of  Sovereign  Omni¬ 
potence.  It  teaches  us,  what  too  many  are  fatally  igno¬ 
rant  of,  the  bjefled  leilon  of  Self-Despair  ;  i.  e.  that 
in  a  (late  of  unregeneracy,  our  wifdonj  is  lolly,  our 
fhength  wreakncfs,  and  our  righteoulnefs  nothing 
ivorth  :  that,  therefore,  we  can  do  nothing,  either  to 
the  glory  of  God,  or  the  fpiritual  benefit  of  ourfelves 
and  others,  but  through  the  ability  which  he  giveth  ; 
that  in  him  our  ftrength  lieth,  and  from  him  all  our 
help  mull  come.  Suppofing  we  believe,  that,  uhatfo- 
ever  is  done  below  or  above,  God  doeth  it  himfelf ; 
that  all  things  depend,  both  as  to  their  being  and  ope¬ 
ration,  upon  his  o  nuipotent  arm  and  mighty  fupport  ; 

that 


[  4i  1 

that  we  cannot  even yf«,  much  lefs  do  any  good  thing, 
if  he  withdraw  his  aid  ;  and  that  all  men  are  in  hi3 
hand,  as  clay  in  the  hand  of  the  potter  ;  I'  fay,  did  we 
really  believe  all  thefe  points,  and  fee  them  in  the  light 
of  the  divine  Spirit,  how  can  it  be  reafonably  fuppofed, 
that  we  could  wax  infolent  againft  this  gretft  God,  be¬ 
have  conteraptuouily  and  fupercilioufly  in  the  vVorlc!, 
or  boall  of  any  thing  we  have  or  do?  Luther  info; ms 
us  *,  ‘  That  he  ufed  frequently  to  be  much  offended 
‘  at  this  doff  fine,  becaufe  it  drove  him  to  Self-de- 
‘  spair  ;  but  that  he  afterwards  found,  that  this  fort 
‘  of  defpair  was  falutary  and  profitable,  and  near  a-kia 
‘  to  divine  grace.’ 

(4.)  We  are  hereby  taught  not  only  humility  before 
God,  but  likewil’e  dependence  on  him,  -and  resignation  to 
him.  For,  if  we  are  thoroughly  peffuaded  that,  of 
ourfelves,  and  in  our  own  ffrength,  we  cannot  either  do 
good  or  evil ;  but  that,  being  originally  created  by 
God,  we  are  incefiantly  fupported,  moved,  influenced, 
and  direffed  by  him,  this  way  or  that,  as  he  pleafes  ; 
the  natural  inference  from  hence  will  be,  that,  with 
Ample  faith,  we  calf  ourfelves  entirely,  as  on  the  befom 
of  his  providence  ;  commit  all  our  care  and  folicitude 
to  his  hand;  praying,  without  hefitatipn  or  referve, 
that  his  will  may  be  done  in  us,  on  us,  and  by  us ; 
and  that,  in  all  his  dealings  with  us,  he  may  confult 
his  own  glory  alone.  This  holy  paflivenefs  is  the  very 
apex  of  Chrilfianity.  All  the  defires  of  our  great  Re* 
deemer  himfelf  were  reducible  *0  thefe  two  ;  that  the 
Will  of  God  might  be  done,  and  that  the  Glory  of 
God  might  be  dilplayed.  Thefe  were  the  higheff  and 
fupreme  marks,  at  which  he  aimed,  throughout  the 
whole  courfe  of  his  fpotlefs  life,  and  inconceiveably 
tremendous  fufferings.  tlappy,  thrice  happy  that  man 
who  hath  thus  far  attained  the  mind  that  was  in 
Chrilf  ! 

■  (4.)  The  comfortable  belief  of  this  doffrine,  has  a 
tendency  to  excite  and  keep  alive  within  us  that  forti¬ 
tude  which  if  fo  ornamental  to,  and  neceffary  for  us, 
D  3  while 

*  DeServ,  Avb.  c.  161, 


— MiiA 


C  42  3 

while  we  abide  in  this  wildernefs.  For,  if  I  believe, 
with  the  apoflle,  that  all  things  are  of  God,  2  Cor.  v. 
18.  I  fhall  be  lefs  .liable  to  perturbation,  when  affiidl- 
ed,  and  learn  more  eafily  to  pofiefs  my  foul  in  patience. 
This  was  Job’s  fupport :  he  was  not  overcome  with 
rage  and  defpair,  when  he  received  news  that  the  Sa- 
bcans  had  carried  off  his  cattle,  and  (lain  his  fervants, 
and  that  the  remainder  of  both  were  confumed  with 
lire;  that  the  Chaldeans  had  rob’d  him  of  his  camels.; 
and  that  his  feven  fobs  were  crufli’d  to  death,  by.  the 
falling  of  the  boufe  where  they  were  lifting  :  he  refolv- 
ed  all  thefe  misfortunes  into  the  agency  of  God,  his 
power  and  fovereignty,  and  even  thanked  him  for  do¬ 
ing  what  he  would  with  his  own,  Job  i.  21.  If  an¬ 
other  fhould  Hander  me  in  word,  or  injure  me  in  deed, 
I  fl  ail  not  be  prone  to  anger,  when,  with  David,  I 
conlider  that  the  Lord  hath  bidden  him,  2  Sam. 
svi.  10. 

fo.)  This  fhould  ftir  us  up  to  fervent  and  inceflant 
jpravcr.  For,  does  God  work  powerfully  and  benign¬ 
ly  in  the  hearts  of  his  elecl  ?  and  is  he  the  foie  caufe  of 
every  ablion  they  do,  which  is  truly  and  fpiritually 
yood  ?  Then  it  fhould  be  our  prayer,  that  he  would 
work  in  us  likewife  both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his  good 
pleafure  :  and  if,  on  feif-examination,  we  find  reafon 
to  trull,  that  fome  good  thing  is  wrought  in  us ;  it  fhould 
put  us  upon  thankfulncjs  unfeigned,  and  caufe  11s  to 
glory,  not  in  ourfelves,  but  in  him.  On  the  other 
hand,  does  God  manifeil  his  difplcafure  againfl  the 
wicked,  by  blinding,  hardening,  and  giving  them  up 
to  perpetrate  iniquity  with  greedinefs  ?  which  judicial 
»<5is  of  God,  are  both  a  punijbment  for  their  fin  ;  and 
alfo  eventual  additions  to  it: 'we  fhould  be  the  more  in¬ 
cited  to  deprecate  thefe  tremendous  evils,  and  to  be- 
feech  the  King  of  heaven,  that  he  would  not  thus 
lead  us  into  temptation.  So  much  concerning  the  Om¬ 
nipotence  of  God.  I  fhall  now, 

V.  Take  notice  of  \\\sfujltcc. 

Pod.  t.  God  is  infinitely,  abfolutely,  and  unchange¬ 
ably  juf. 


The 


E  4  3  } 

The  juftice  of  God  may  be  confidered  either  imma* 
neatly,  as  it  is  in  blmfelf,  which  is,  properly  fpeaking, 
the  fame  with  his  holinefs  ;  or  tranjiently  and  relatively, 
as  it  refpects  his  right  conduct  towards  his  creature s, 
which  is  properly  juftice.  By  the  former  he  is  all  that 
is  holy,  juft  and  good  ;  by  the  latter,  he  is  manifefted 
to  be  fo,  in  all  his  dealings  with  angels  and  men.  For 
the  fir  ft,  fee  Deut.  xxxii.  4.  Pf.  xcii.  1  for  the  fecond. 
Job  via.  3.  Pf.  cxlv.  17.  Hence  it  follows,  that 
whatever  God  either  wills  or  does,  however  it  may,  at 
fil'd  fight,  feern  to  clafh  with  our  ideas  of  right  and 
wrong,  cannot  really  be  unjuft.  ’Tis  certain,  that, 
for  a  fealbn,  he  forely  aiilicted  his  righteous  fer- 
vant  Job ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  enriched  the 
Sabeatis,  an  infidel  and  lawlefs  nation,  with  a  profufion 
of  wealth,  and  a  feries  of  fuccefs  :  before  Jacob  and 
Efau  were  born,  or  had  done  either  good  or  evil, 
he  loved  and  chofe  the  former,  and  reprobated  the 
latter:  He  gave  repentance  to  Peter,  and  left  Judas  to 
|  perifh  in  his  fin  :  and  as  in  all  ages,  fo,  to  thisjday,  “  he 
“  hath  mercy  on  whom  he  will,  and  whom  he  will  he 
“  hardneth.”  In  all  which,  he  aefts  rnoft  juftly  and 
,  righteoufly,  and  there  is  no  iniquity  with  him. 

Pof.  2.  The  Deity  may  be  confidered  in  a  threefold 
view :  as  God  of  all,  as  Lord  of  all,  and  as  Judge  of 
all. 

(1.)  As  God  of  all,  he  created,  fuftains,  and  ex¬ 
hilarates  the  whole  univerfe;  “  caufes  his  fun  to  flfine, 
“  and  his  rain  to  fall  upon  the  evil  and  the  good,’' 

1  Mat.  v.  and  is  “  the  preferver  of  all  men,”  x  Tim. 
iv.  10.  For,  as  he  is  infinitely  and  fupremely  good , 
fo  alfo  is  he  communicative  of  his  goodnefs  ;  as  appears 
not  only  from  his  creation  of  all  things,  but  efpecially 
from  his  providential  benignity.  Every  thing  has  its 
being  from  him,  as  Creator  ;  and  its  well-being  from 
him,  as  a  bountiful  Preferver.  (2.)  As  Lord,  or 
1 .  Sovereign  or  all,  he  dots  as  he  will  (and  has  a  moil  un- 
\  queftionable  right  to  do  fo)  with  his  own  ;  and,  in  par¬ 
ticular,  fixes  and  determines  the  everlafting  ftate  of 
every  individual  perlbn,  as  he  fees  fit.  ’Tis  ejfential 
to  abfolute  fovereignty,  that  the  fovereign  have  it  in  his 

power 


[4+3 

power  to  difpofe  of  thofe,  over  whom  his  jurifdiiftloa 
extends,  juft  as  he  pleaies,  without  being  accountable 
to  any  :  and  God  whole  authority  is  unbounded,  none 
being  exempt  from  it ;  may  with  the  flriifteft  holinefs 
and  juftiee,  love  or  hate,  eleft  or  reprobate,  iaye  or 
deftroy  any  of  his  creatures,  whether  human  or  angelic, 
according  to  his  own  freepieufure  and  fovereign  purpofe, 
( j.)  As  .Judge  ofall,  he  ratifies  what  he  does  as  Lord, 
by  rendering  to  all  according  to  their  works  ;  by  punifh- 
ing  the  wicked,  and  rewarding  thole  whom  it  was  his 
will  to  efteem  righteous  and  to  make  holy. 

Pof.  3.  AVhatever  things  God  wills  or  does,  are  not 
willed  and  done  by  him  becaufe  they  were,  in  tbeir  own 
nature ,  and  previoujly  to  his  willing  them,  juft:  and 
right;  or  becaufe,  from  their  hitrinfc  fiinefs,  he  ought 
to  will  and  do  them  :  but  they  are  therefore  juft,  right 
and  proper,  becaufe  he,  who  is  holinefs  itfelf,  wills  and 
does  them. 

Hence,  Abraham  looked  upon  it  as  a  righteous  acti¬ 
on,  to  flay  his  innocent  foil.  Why  did  he  fo  efteem 
it?  becaufe  the  law  of  God  authoris’d  murder?  No; 
for,  on  the  contrary,  both  the  law  of  God  and  the  law 
of  nature  peremptorily  forbad  it :  but  the  holy  Patri¬ 
arch  well  knew,  that  the  will  of  God  is  the  only  rule  of 
juftiee,  and  that  what  he  pleafes  to  command,  is,  on 
that  very  account,  juft  and  righteous.*  It  follows, 

Pof.  4.  That,  although  our  works  are  to  be  examined 
byT  the  revealed  will  of  God,  and  be  denominated  ma¬ 
terially  good  or  evil,  as  they'  agree  or  dilagree  with  it; 
yet, _  the  works  of  God  bimfelf  c annot  be  brought  to  any 
teft  whatever  :  for,  his  will  being  the  grand,  univerfal 
law,  he  himfelf  cannot  be,  properly  fpeaking,  fubjedt 
to,  or  obliged  by  any-  law  fuperior  to  that.  Many 
things’are  done  by  him,  (fitch  as  choofing  and  repro¬ 
bating  men,  without  any  rePper!  had  to  their  works  ; 
fullering  people  to  fall  into  fin,  when,  if  it  fo  pleaf- 
cd  him,  he  might  prevent  it ;  leaving  many  backliiding 
profefiors  to  go  on  and  perifh  in  their  apoftacy,  when 
it  is  in  his  divine  power  to  faniftify  and  let  them  right ; 
drawing  feme  by  his  grace,  and  permitting  many  others 

to 

*  Compare  alfo  Exod,  iii.  22,  With  Exod.  xy.  1^, 


[  45  1 

to  continue  in  fin  and  unregeneracy ;  condemning  thofe 
to  future  mifery,  whom,  if  he  pleafed,  he  couid  un¬ 
doubtedly  fave  ;  with  innumerable  inftances  of  the 
like  nature,  which  might  be  mentioned)  and  which, 
if  done  by  would  be  apparently  unjuft,  inafmuch 
as  they  would  not  fquare  with  the  revealed  will  cl  God, 
which  is  the  great  and  only  fafe  rule  of  our  practice. 
But  when  he  does  thefe  and  fuch  like  things,  they 
cannot  but  be  holy,  equitable,  and  worthy  of  himielt : 
for,  fince  his  will  is  ellentially  and  unchangeably  juft, 
whatever  he  does,  in  confequtnce  of  that  will,  mu  ft  be 
juft  ani  good  likewife,  From  what  has  been  delivered 
under  this  fifth  head,  I  would  infer,  that  they  who 
deny  the  power  God  has  of  doing  as  he  will  with  his 
creatures,  and  exclaim  againft  unconditional  decrees, 
as  cruel,  tyranical,  and  unjuft  ;  either  know  not  what 
they  fay,  nor  whereof  they  affirm  ;  or  are  wilful  blaf- 
phemers  of  his  name,  and  perverfe  rebels  againft  his 
fovereignty  :  to  which,  at  laft,  however  unwillingly, 
they  will  be  forced  to  fubmit. 

I  (hall  conclude  this  introduction  with  briefly  con- 
fidering,  in  the 

Sixth  and  laft  place,  the  Mercy  of  God, 

Pofi.  t.  The  Deity  is,  throughout  the  feriptures,  repre* 
fented  as  infinitely  gracious  and  merciful,  Exod.  xxxiv. 
6.  Nehem.  ix.  17.-  Pfalrn  ciii.  8.  1  Pet.  i.  3. 

When  we  call  the  divine  mercy  infinite ,  we  do  not 
mean  that  it  is,  in  a  way  of  grace,  extended  to  all  men, 
without  exception  ;  (and  fuppoling  it  wasr  even  then  it 
would  be  very  improperly  denominated  infinite  on 
that  account,  fince  the.  objeCts  of  it,  though  all  men 
taken  together,  would  not  amount  to  a  multitude  ftriCt- 
ly  and  property  infinite.)  but,  that  his  mercy  towards1 
Iris  own  el  tel,  as  it  knew  no  beginning,  fo  it  is  infinite 
in  duration ,  and  (hall  know  neither  period  nor  inter- 
miflion. 

Pofi.  2.  Mercy  is  not  in  the  Deity,  as  it  is  in  us,  a 
pajfipn  or  afiedliou  ;  every  thing  of  that  kind  being  in¬ 
compatible  with  the  purity,  perfection,  independency 
and  unchangeablenefs  of  his  nature  :  but,  when  this 
attribute  is  predicated  of  him,  it  only  notes  his  ‘  free 

‘  and 


t  46-  y 

4  arid'  eternal  will,  or  purpofe,  of  making  fome  of  the 
‘  fallen  race  happy,  by  delivering  them  from 'the  guild 
4  and  dominion  ot  fin,  and  communicating  himfelf 
4  to  them  in  a  way  confident  with  his  own  inviolable 
‘jutliee,  truth,  and  hulinefs.’  This  feems  to  be  the 
proper  definition  of  mercy,  as  it  relates  to  the  fpiritual' 
and  eternal  good  of  thofe  who  are  its  objects.  But  it 
Ihould  be  observed, 

Pof.  3,  That  the  mercy  of  God,  taken  in  its  more 
large  and  indefinite  feiife,  may  be- confidered,  (1.)  as 
general.  (2.)  as Jpecial, 

His  general  mercy  is  no  other  than  what  we  com¬ 
monly  call  his  bounty  y  by  which  he  is,  more  or  Ids, 
providentially  good  to  all  mankind-,  both  elect  and  non- 
el  eft  :  Mat.  v.  4^.  Luke  vi.  33.  Acts  xiv.  1  7.  and 
xvii.  25,  28.  By  his  /peeled  mercy,  he,  as  Lord  of  all, 
hath,  in  a  fpiritual  fenfe  compafilon  on  as  many  of  the 
fallen  race,  as  are  the  objects  of  his  free  arid  eternal 
favour  :  the  effects  of  which  fpecial  mercy  are,  the  re¬ 
demption  and  jujlification  ot  their  perfons,  through  the 
fatisfadlion  of  Ch  ild  ;  the  effeddual  vocation,  regenera¬ 
tion  and  fanCtificafion  of  them,  by  his  Spirit  ;  the  in¬ 
fallible  and  final  prefervaiion  of  them  in  a  date  of  grace 
on  earth ;  and  their  everlafting  glorification  in  heaven. 

Pof.  4.  There  is  no  contradiction;  whether  real  or 
feeming,  between  thefe  two  aflerrions,-  (i.)  That  the 
bleifings  of  grace  and  glory  are  peculiar  to  thofe  whom 
God  hath  in  his  decree  of  pretfefiination,  fet  apart  tor 
himlelf;  and  (2.)  That  the  gofpel  declaration  runs, 
that  “  w  lofoever  v/illeth,  may  take  of  the 'water  of 
4<  life  freely,”  Xev.  xxit.  17.  Since  in'the/??-/?  place, 
none  can  will,  or  unfeignedly  and  fpiritually  delire,  a 
part  in  thefe  privileges,  but  thole  whom  God'  prevkmf- 
ly  makes  willing  and  defirous  ;  and,  fecondlv,  that  he 
gives  this  will  to,  and  excites  this  defire  in  none  but 
his  own  eledt. 

P'nf  7.  Since  ungodly  men,  who  are  totally  and  final¬ 
ly  defiitute  of  divine  grace,  cannot  know  what  this 
in  'rcy  is,  nor  form  any  proper  apprehenfions  of  it, 
much  lefs  by  faith  embrace  and  rely  upon  it  for  them-' 
felres ;  and  fince  daily  experience  as  well  as  the  ferip* 

tur#s- 


1  47  3 

lures  of  truth,  teaches  us,  that  God  doth  not  open  the 
eyes  of  the  reprobate,  as  he  doth  the  eyes  of  his  eledt, 
nor  favingly  enlighten  their  underffandings ;  it  evident¬ 
ly  follows,  that  his  mercy  was  never,  front  the  very 
firfi,  deligned  for- them,  neither  will  it  be  applied  to 
them  :  but,  both  in  delignation  and  application,  is 
proper  and  peculiar  to  thole  only,  who  are  predeitinat- 
ed  to  life  ;  as  it  is  written,  “  the  election  hath  obtain- 
s‘  ed,  and  the  reft  were  blinded,”  Rem.  xi.  y. 

Pof.  6.  The  whole  work  cf  falvation,  together  with 
every  thing  that  is  in  order  to  it,  or  hands  in  connetti- 
.on  vvich.it,  it,  fometimes,  in  feripture  comprised  un¬ 
der  the  lingle  term  mercy.;,  to  lRcyv  that  mere  love  and 
abfolute  grace  were  the  grand  caufe  why  the  elect  are 
fayed,  and  that  all  merit,  worthinefs,  and  good  quali¬ 
fications  of  theirs  were  entirely  excluded  from  having 
any  influence  on  the  divine  will,  why  they  fhould  be 
.chofen,  redeemed,  and  glorified  above  others.  When 
it  is  faid,  Rom.  ix.  “  He  hath  mercy  on  whom  he 
“  will  have  mercy,”  ’tis  as  much  as  if  the  Apolile  had 
faid,  ‘  God  elected,  ranfqmed,  juftified,  regenerates, 
‘  fanctifies  and  glorifies,  whom  he  pleafes  everv  one  of 
thele  great  privileges  being  briefly  fum’d,  and  virtually 
included,  in  tli^t  comprehenfive  phrafe,  “  He  hath 
“  mercy.” 

Pof.  7.  It  fallows,  that,  whatever  favour  is  beftow- 
ed  on  us ;  whatever  good  thing  is  in  us,  or  wrought  by 
us,  whether  in  will,  word,  or  deed;  and  whatever 
bleffingelfe  we  receive  from  Gad,  from  election  quite 
Tome  to.  glorification  ;  all  proceed,  merely  and  entire¬ 
ly  from  ‘  the  good  pleafure,of  his  will,’  and  his  mercy 
towards  us  in  Chr  1  s t  Jesus.  To  him  therefore,  the 
praife  is  due,  who  putteth  the  difference  between  man 
and  man,  ,, by  .having  compiltion  on  home,  and  not  on 
.others. 


THE 


g  *$*  ^  %•  !  ■$*  (fit 


**\  •  *4* 

>:*  #M>:OK&>Kft&:K  ;K  &  K€C*:0K&>3-ft>J; 

THE 

DOCTRINE 

jO  F 

Abfolute  Predestination 

STATED  and  ASSERTED. 


C  H  A  P. 


I. 


Wherein  the  Terms,  commonly  made  sfie  of  in  treating  of 
this  Subjefl,  are  defined  arid  explained . 

•$“G- — —  s-j§5»  A  V ING  confidered  the  Attributes  of 
«  jooc=^j.  A  God,  as  laid  down  in  Scripture ;  and, 
?  H  f  fo  far>  cleared  our  way  to  the  Doctrine 
j  *  2  |  °t  Predeftination  :  I  fhall,  before  I  en- 

ter  further  on  the  iubjedt,  explain  the 
2  '  ^  principal  terms,  generally  made  ufe  of, 

when  treating  ot  it,  and  fettle  their  true  meaning.  In 
difeourfing  on  the  divine  decrees,  mention  is  frequent¬ 
ly  made  ot  God’s  Love,  and  Hatred  ;  of  KleHion,  and 
Reprobation  ;  and  of  the  divine  Purpofie,  Foreknowledge, 
and  Predefi ination  :  each  of  which  we  fhall  diftinfctly 
and  bi  iefly  conli^er. 

I.  When 


[  49  ] 

I.  When  love  is  predicated  of  God,  we  do  not  mean 
ihat  he  is  poffefTed  of  it  as  a  paffion  or  affeftion.  In  us, 
it  is  fitch  ;  but  if,  eonfidered  in  that  fenfe,  it  fltould  be 
aferibed  to  the  Deity,  it  would  be  utterly  fubverfivc  or 
the  Simplicity,  pe  feftion  and  independency  of  his  be¬ 
ing.  Love,  therefore,  when  attributed  to  him,  figni- 
fies,  (i.)  His  eternal  benevolence,  L  e.  his  everlafiing 
•will,  purpofe  and  determination  to  deliver,  blefs,  and 
fave  his  people.  Or  this,  no  good  works  wrought  by 
them,  are,  in  any  fenfe,  the  caufe.  Neither  are  even 
the  merits  of  Chrilt  himfelf  to  be  conlidered  as  any 
way  moving,  or  exciting  this  goodwill  of  God  to  his 
eleft ;  lince  the  gift  of  Chrilt,  to  be  their  Mediator  and 
Redeemer,  is  itfelf  an  tffift  of  this  tree  and  eternal  fa¬ 
vour,  borne  to  them  by  God  the  Father,  John  iii.  16. 
His  love  toward  them  arifes  merely  from  t !•  ■  good plca- 
fiure  of  his  own  will,  without  the  lead:  regard  to  any 
thing  ad  extra,  or,  out  of  himfelf.  The  term  implies, 
(2.)  Complacency,  delight,  and  approbation.  With  this 
love,  God  cannot  love  even  his  cleft,  as  conlidered  in 
themfelves  ;  becaufe,  in  that  view,  they  are  guilty,  pol¬ 
luted  tinners  :  but  they  were,  from  all  eternity,  objefts 
of  it,  as  they  flood  united  to  Chriit,  and  partakers  of 
his  righteoufnels.  Love  implies,  (3.)  Aftual  benefi¬ 
cence  ;  which,  properly  lpeaking,  is  nothing  die  than# 
the  eflfeft  or  accomplifmncnt  of  the  other  two  :  thnfe  are 
the  caufe  of  this.  This  aftual  beneficence  refpefts  all 
blefiings,  whether  of  a  temporal,  fpiritual,  or  eternal 
nature.  Temporal  good  things  are,  indeed,  indilcri- 
minately,  bellowed  in  a  greater  or  lefs  degree,  on  all, 
whether  eleft  or  reprobate  ;  but  they  are  given  in  a 
covenant  way,  and  as  blefiings  to  the  eleft  only  :  ta 
whom  alfo  the  other  benefits,  refpefting  grace  and  glo¬ 
ry,  are  peculiar.  And  this  love  ot  beneficence,  no.lefs 
than  that  of  benevolence  and  complacency,  is  abfolute- 
ly  free  .  ad  irrefpeftive  of  any  worthlnefs  in  man. 

II.  When  Hatred  is  aferibed  to  God,  it  implies, 
(1.)  A  negation  of  benevolence ;  or,  a  resolution  vet  to 
have  mercy  on  fuch  and  fueh  men,  nor  to  endue  them 
with  any  of  thofe  graces  which  Rind  connected  with 

L  cterea 


[  ] 

eternal  life.  So,  Rom.  ix.  F.j'au  have  I  hated,  i.  e.  I 
did,  from  all  eternity,  determine  within  myfelf,  not  to 
hare  mercy  on  him.  The  foie  caule  of  which  awful 
negation,  is,  not  merely  the  unworthinefs  of  the  per- 
ions  hated,  but  the  iovereignty  and  freedom  of  the  di- 
vine  will.  (2.)  It  denotes  difpleafure  and  diltike  :  for, 
tinners,  who  are  not  interefted  in  Chtifl,  cannot  but  be 
infinitely  difpleafing  to,  ami  loathfome  in  the  fight  of 
eternal  purity.  (3.)  It  lignifies  a  pofitive  will  to  pu- 
nifh  and  dellroy  the  reprobate  for  their  fins  j  of  which 
will,  the  infliction  of  mi.ery  upon  them  hereafter,  is 
but  the  neceffary  elfedt  and  adual  execution. 

III.  The  term  Elcffion,  that  fo  very  frequently  oc¬ 
curs  in  Scripture,  is  there  taken  in  a  fourfold  lenfe ; 
(1.)  And  it  .oil  commonly  lignifies,  ‘  That  eternal,  fo- 
‘  vereign,  unconditional,  particular,  and  immutable  aft 
*  or  God,  where  he  feleded  home  from  among  all  man- 
‘  kind,  and  of  every  nation  under  heaven,  to  be  re- 
4  deemed  and  everlallingly  laved  by  Clirilt.’  (2.)  It 
ibme  times,  and  more  rarely  lignifies,  ‘  That  gracious 
‘  and  almighty  ad  o!  the  divine  Spirit,  whereby  God 
‘  adually  and  vifibly  lepajrates  his  eled  from  the  wo  Id, 

‘  by  cO'edual  calling.’  T  his  is  nothing  but  the  mani- 
^fellation  and  partial  fulfilment  of  the  former  eledion  ; 
and,  by  if,  the  objeds  of  predeftinating  grace  are  ien- 
libly  led  into  the  communion  of  faints,  and  vihbly 
added  to  the  number  of  God’s  declared,  profelling  peo¬ 
ple.  Of  this  our  Lord  makes  mention,  John  xv.  19. 

Becaufe  1  have  cholen  you  out  of  the  world,  tliere- 
“  fore  the  world  haleth  you.”  Where,  it  (hould  feem, 
the  choice  fpoken  of,  does  not  refer  lb  much  to  God’s 
eternal  immanent  ad  of  ejedion,  as  his  open,  manireit 
one ;  whereby  he  powerfully  and  efficacicully  called 
the  difciples  forth  from  the  world  of  the  unconverted, 
and  quickened  them  from  above,  in  converfion.  (3.) 
By  eledion  is  fomeiimes  meant,  ‘  God’s  taking  a  whole 
‘  nation,  community,  or  body  of  men,  into  external 
‘  covenant  with  hitjilelf,  by  giving  them  the  advantage 
‘  of  revelation,  or  his  written  word,  as  the  rule  of  their 
‘  belied"  and  pradice,  when  other  nations  are  without 


[  p  ] 

c  it/  In  this  fenfe,  the  whole  body  of  the  Jewifh  na¬ 
tion  was  indifcriminately  called  elect,  Dcut.  vii.  6.  be- 
caufe  that  “  unto  them  were  committed  the  oracles  of 
God.”  Now,  all  that  are  thus  ejected,  are  not  theie- 
fore  nt'ceffarily  laved;  hut  many  of  them  may  be,  and 
are  reprobates;  as  thole,  of  whom  our  Lord  fays, 
Mat.  xiii.  20.  that  theyv“  hear  the  vvoid,  Slid  anon 
“  with  joy  receive  u,”"'&c.  And  trie  Apollle  Jyhn, 
i  Epift.  chap.  ii.  “  They  went  out  from  us,”  i.  c.  be¬ 
ing  favoured  with  the  fame  gofpel  revelation- we  were, 
they  profetTed  themfelves  true  believers,  no  lefs  titan 
we  ;  “  but  they  were  not  of  us,”  i.  e.  they  were  not, 
with  us,  chofen  of  God  unto  everlafting  life,  nor  did 
they  ever,  in  reality,  pollefs  that  faith  of  his  operation, 
which  he  gave  to  us  ;  11  for,  if  they  had,”  in  this 
fenfe,  “  been  of  us,  they  would,  no  doubt,  have  con* 
“  tinued  with  us ;”  they  would  have  manifefted  the 
fincerity  of  their  profeflions,  and  the  truth  of  their  con- 
verfion,  by  enduring  to  the  end,  arid  being  laved.  Aral 
even  this  external  revelation,  tho’  it  is  not  necefiarily 
Connected  with  eternal  happinefs,  is,  neverthelefs,  pro¬ 
ductive  of  very  many  and  great  advantages  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  and  places  where  it  is  vouchfafed  ;  and  is  made 
known  to  fome  nations,  and  kept  back  *  from  others, 
“  according  to  the  good  pleafure  of  him,  who  worketh 
“  all  things  after  the  counfel  of  his  own  will.”  (4.) 
And  laflly,  election  fometimes  fignifies,  ‘  The  tempo- 

*  raiyr  delignation  of  fome  perfon  or  perfons,  to  the  fill* 

‘  ing  up  fome  particular  lration  in  the  vifible  church, 

*  or  office  in  civil  life/  So  Judas  was  deafen  to  the 
ApofUeffiip,  John  vi.  70.  and  Saul  to  he  King  of  Ifrael, 

1  Sam.  x.  2\ .  Thus  much  for  the  uie  of  the  wori 
ehetion.  On  the  contrary,- 

TV.  Reprobation  denotes  either,  (t.)  God’s  eternal 
preterition  of fome  men,  when  he  cbofe  others  to  glory, 
and  his  predeflination  of  them  to  fill  up  the  meafure  of 
their  iniquities',  and  then  to  receive  the  juft  nuniffime-nt 
of  their  crimes,  even  “  deflrudfion  from  the  prefence 
f‘  or  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power.”  This 
E  2  j» 

*  See  l’fa!m  c:;h ii.  19,  20, 


C  s*  1 

5s  the  primary,  moft  obvious,  and  mofi  frequent  fenfe, 
in  which  the  word  is  ufed.  .it  may  likewife  iignify, 
.(-•)  God’s  forbearing  to  call  by  his  grace,  thofe  whom 
he  hath  thus  ordained  to  condemnation  :  but  this  is 
only  a  temporary  peter  it  ion,  and  a  confequence  of  that 
which  was  from  eternity.  (3.)  And  lallly,  The  word 
may  be  taken  in  another  fenfe,  as  denoting  God’s  re¬ 
fund  to  grant,  to  home  nations,  the  light  of  the  gofpel 
revelation.  This^may  be  conlidered  as  a  kind  of  na¬ 
tional  reprobation ;  wh'ch  yet  does  not  iyiply  that  eve¬ 
ry  individual  perfon,  who  lives  in  fueh  a  country,  mu  it 
theretore  unavoidably  perifh  for  ever  t  any  more  than 
that  every  individual,  who  lives  in  a  land  called  Chri- 
ftian,  is  therefore  in  a  hate  of  fulvation.  There  are, 
kg  doubt,  elefi  perfons  among  the  former,  as  well  as 
reprobate  ones  among  the  latter.  By  a  very  little  at¬ 
tention  to  the  context,  any  reader  may  ealily  difeover 
in  which  of  thefe  feveral  lenfes  the  words  eleft  and  re- 
prohate  are  ufed,  whenever  they  occur  in  Scripture. 

V.  Mention  is  frequently  made  in  Scripture,  of  the 
Pttrpnfe  *  of  God  :  which  is  no  other  than  his  gracious 

intention 

’*  The  Purpofe  of  God  does  not  feem  to  dilTer  at  all, 
from  Predef: illation :  that  being,  as  well  as  this,  an 
eternal,  free  and  unchangeable  adl  of  his  will.  Beftdes, 
the  word  purpofe,  when  predicated  of  Gcd  in  the  New 
Teftament,  always  denotes  his  delign  of  having  ha 
eledf,  and  that  only,  Rom.  viii.  :8.  and  ix.  n.  Ep’n. 

1 1.  and  iii.  it.  1  Tim.  i.  9.  As  does  the  term  predef- 
t [nation  ;  which,  throughout  the  whole  New  Tefta- 
mer.t,  never  Signifies  the  appointment  of  the  n.n-ehB  to 
wrath  ;  but,  Singly  and  folelv,  the  fore-appointment  of 
rite  eleeft  to  grace  and  glory  ;  though,  in  common  the¬ 
ological  writings,  precieflinat’ton  is  fpeken  of  as  extend¬ 
ing0 to  whatever  God  does,  both  in  a  way  of  permiffou 
ar.d  efficiency;  as,  in  the  utinofl  fenfe  of  the  term,  it  does. 
’Tit worthy  of  the  reader’s  notice,  that  the  original 
word,  which  we  under  purpofe,  fignifies  not  only  an 
appointment,  but  a  fc  r  e  -  app  0  m  tm  e  11 1 ,  and  fueh  a  tore- 

appo  moment 


[  S3  ] 

intention,  from  eternity,  of  making  his  cleft  everlaft- 
ingly  happy  in  Chrift, 

VI,  When  Fore-hiovoledge  is  afcribeJ  to  God,  the 
Word  imports,  (i.)  That  general  prefcience,  whereby 
he  knew,  from  all  eternity,  both  what  he  himfelf  would 
do,  and  what  his  creatures,  in  confequence  of  his  effi¬ 
cacious  and  permiffive  decree,  ffiould  do  likewife.  The 
divine  fore-knowledge,  confidered  in  this  view,  is  abfo- 
lutely  univerfal  ;■  it  extends  to  all  beings  that  did,  do, 
or  ever  ihall  exilt  ,•  and  to  all  actions,  that  ever  have 
been,  that  are,  or  (hall  be  done,  whether  good  or  evil, 
natural,  civil,  or  moral.  (2.)  The  word  often  denotes 
that  lpecial  prefcience,  which  has  for  its  objects  his 
own  elect,  and  them  alone,  whom  he  is,  in  a  peculiar 
fenfe,  faid  to  kno-zv  and  forcknozv,  Pfal.  i.  6.  John  x. 
27.  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  Rom.  viii.  29.  1  Pet.  i.  2,  and  this 
knowledge  is  .con  nected  with,  or  rather  the  fame  with 
love,  favour,  and  approbation. 

VII.  We  come,  now,  to  confider  the  meaning  of  the 
■  word  P reclefluation ,  and  how  it  is  taken  in  Scripture. 
The  verb  predeflnale  is  of  Latin  original,  and  fignifies 
in  that  tongue,  4  to  deliberate  beforehand  with  one’s 
‘  felt,  how  one  fnali  aft,  and,  in  eonfequence  of  Rich 
‘  deliberation,  to  conftitute,  forc-ordain,  and  predeter- 
6  mine,  where,  when,  how,  and  by  whom,  any  thing 
‘  Ihall  be  done,  and  to  what  end  it  ihall  be  done.’  So  the 

E  3  .  Greek 

appointment  as  is  efficacious,  and  cannot  be  obflrucied, 
but  ihall  molt  affuredly  iffiie  in  a  full  accoraplifirment } 
which  gave  occafion  to  the  following  judicious  remark 
of  a  late  learned  writer ;  e  A  Paulo  faepe  ufarpater  in 
‘  electionis  negotio,  ad  defignandum,  conliiium  hoc 
1  Dei  non  effe  inanem  quandam  8c  inefficacem  velleita- 
‘  tern  ;  fed  conltans,  determinatum,  &  immUtabiie  Del 
‘  propofttum.  Vox  enim  eltefficaciae  funimae,  ut  no- 
*  taut  grammatici  veteres  j  &  lignate  vocatur  a  Paulo* 

‘  conhlium  illius,  qui  effieaciter  omnia  operator  ex  be- 
‘  neplacito  fuo.’  TurrETIN.  InftitUt.  Tom.  1.  Loc. 
4.  Quaeft.  7.  §  12, 


f  *4  1 

Greek  verb  proorizo ,  anfwers  to  the  Englifh  word  pre- 
efefiinate ,  and  is  rendered  by  it,  fignifies,  ‘  to  refolve  be- 

*  fore  hand,  within  one’s  lei f,  what  to  do  ;  and,  before 

*  the  thing  refolved  on  is  adually  effeded,  to  appoint  it 
‘  to  fome  certain  ul'e,  and  dired  it  to  fome  determinate 

*  end.’  The  Hebrew  verb  Haihdel ,  has  likewife  much 
the  fame  fignification. 

Now,  none  but  wife  men  are  capable  (especially  in 
matters  of  great  importance)  of  rightly  determining 
what  to  do,  and  how  to  accomplifn  a  proper  end,  by 
juft,  fuitable  and  effectual  means :  and,  if  this  is  con- 
lefledly,  a  very  material  part  of  true  vvifdom  ;  who  l’o 
fit  to  dilpofe  of  men,  and  aflign  each  individual  his 
lphere  of  adion  in  this  world,  and  his  place  in  the 
world  to  come,  as  the  all-wife  God  ?  And  yet,  alas  ! 
how  many  are  there,  who  cavil  at  thofe  eternal  decrees, 
Which,  were  we  capable  of  fully  and  clearly  under- 
llanding  them,  would  appear  to  be  as  juft  as  they  are 
fovereign,  and  as  wife  as  they  are  incomprcheniible  ! 
Divine  preordination  has,  for  its  objects,  all  things  that 
sre  created  :  no  creature,  whether  rational  or  irration¬ 
al,  animate  or  inanimate,  is  exempted  from  its  influ¬ 
ence.  All  beings  whatever,  from  the  higheft  angel  to 
the  meaneft  reptile,  and  from  the-  meaneft  reptile 
io  the  minufeft  atom,  are  the  objeds  of  God’s 
eternal  decrees  and  particular  providence.  How¬ 
ever,  the  ancient  fathers  only  made  ufe  of  the  word 
Predeftination,  as  it  refers  to  angels  or  men,  whe¬ 
ther  good  or  evil ;  .and  it  is  ufed,  by  the  Apoflle 
Paul,  in  a  more  limited  fenfe  ftill ;  lb  as,  by  it,  to  mean 
only  that  branch  of  it,  which  refpeds  God’s  eledian 
and  defignation  of  his  people  to  eternal  life,  Rom.  viii. 
30.  Eph.  i.  1 1. 

But  that  we  may  more  juftly  apprehend  the  import 
of  this  word,  and  the  ideas  intended  to  be  conveyed  by 
it  ;  it  may  be  proper  to  cbferve,  that  the  tei  m  pre¬ 
deftination,  theologically  taken,  admits  of  a  four  fid 
definition :  and  may  be  conlidercd  as,  (1.)  ‘That 
‘  eternal,  mod  wife,  and  immutable  decree  of  God, 

*  whereby  he  did,  from  before  all  time,  determine  and 

*  ordain  to  create  ;  difpofe  of,  and  dired  fo  fome  par- 

‘  ticular 


[  5S  1 

*  ticular  end,  every  perfon  and  thing  to  which  he  h?>s 
‘  given,  or  is  yet  to  give,,  being ;  and  to  make  the 
‘  whole  creation  fubfervient  to,  and  declarative  of,  his 
4  own  glory.’  Of  this  decree,  abtual  Providence  is  the 
execution .  (2.)  Predestination  may  be  considered,  as 

relating  generally  to  mankind ,  and  them  only  :  and,  in, 
this  view,  we  define  it  to  be,.  4  The  everlasting  fove- 
4  reign,  and  invariable  purpofe  of  God,  whereby  he 
4  did  determine  within  himfelf,  to  create  Adam  in  his 
4  own  image  and  likenefs,  and  then-  to  permit  his  fall ; 

4  and  to  Suiter  him,  thereby,  to  plunge  himfelf,  and 
4  his  whole  posterity,’  (inafmuch  as  they  all  Sinned  in 
him,  hot  only  virtually ,  but  alfo  focderaliy  and  reprefen- 
tatively)  4  into  the  dreadful  abyfs  of  Sin,  mifery  and 
4  death.’  (3.)  CorvSider  predestination  as  relating  to 
the  eledl  only ,  and  it  is  4  that  eternal,  unconditional, 
4  particular,  and  Irreversible  ait  of  the  divine  will, 
4  whereby,  in  matchlefs  love,  and  adorable  fovereign- 
4  ty,  God  determined  within  himfelf  to  deliver  a  cer- 
1  tain  number  ©f  Adam’s  degenerate  *  offspring  out  of 
4  that  Sinful  and  milerable  eftate,  into  which,  by  his 
4  primitive  tranfgreilion,  they  were  to  fall and  in 
which  Sad  condition  they  were  equally  involved,  with 

thofe- 


*  When  we  fay,  that  the  decree  of  predeSKnation  t® 
life  and  death  refpedts  man  as  fallen,  rve  do  not  mean, 
that  the  fall  was  actually  antecedent  to  that  decree  :  for 
the  decree  is  truly  and.  properly  eternal ,  as  all  God’s  im¬ 
manent  affs  undoubtedly  are  ;  whereas  the  fall  took 
place  in  time .  What  we  intend,  then,  is  only  this,.  viz., 
that  God,  (for  reafons  without  doubt,  worthy  of  him¬ 
felf,  and  of  which  we  are,  by  no  meals,  in  this  life 
competent  judges),  having,  from  everlaSting,.  preremp- 
torily  ordained  to  Suffer  --the  fall  of  Adam ;  did' 
likewife,  from-  everlasting,  conlider  tire  human  race  as 
fallen. :  and,  out  of  the  whole  m-afs.  of  mankind  thus 
viewed  and  foreknown  as  impure,  and  obnoxious  to 
condemnation,  vouch  fafed  to file  ft  fame  particular  per- 
fens,  (who  collectively,  make  up  a  very  great ,  though. 
preefely  determinate ,  number)  in  and  on,  whom' he  would 
make  known  the  inef&ble  ridges  of  his  ©sercy* 


C  56  ] 

thofe  who  were  no*  cho fen  ;  bur,  being  pitched  upon? 
and  tingled  out,  by  God  the  Father,  to  be  veflels  of 
grace  and  falvation  (not  for  any  thing  in  than,  that 
could  recommend  them  to  his  favour,  or  entitle 
them  to  his  notice,  but  merely  becaufe  he  would 
ihew  himfelf  gracious  to  them)  they  were,  in  time, 
actually  redeemed  by  Chrid ;  are  eSfedtudly  cal¬ 
led  by  his  Spirit,  jodified,  adopted,  fanftificd  and  pre- 
ferved  fate  to  his  heavenly  kingdom*  Tire  fupreme  end 
of  this  decree,  is  the  manifeftation  cf  his  own  infinite¬ 
ly  glorious  and  amiably  tremendous  perfections :  the  in¬ 
ferior,  or  fubordinate  end,  is  the  happinefs  and  fal- 
vation  of  them  who  are  thus  freely  elected.  (4.)  Pre- 
defti nation,  as  it  regards  th t  r  probate,  is  ‘  that  eternal, 
4  mod  hoi)',  fove reign,  and  immutable  aft  of  God’s 
4  will,  whereby  he  hath  determined  to  leave  fome  men 
‘  to  perilh  in  their  lins,  and  to  be  juftly  punilhed  tor 
4  them.’ 


•v* .V. ft.% M  .v* .tr .v. / *.?4 


CHAP. 


II. 


Wherein  the  D  oftri/te  of  Predestination'  is  explain  • 
ed,  as  ic  relates  in  general  to  all  men. 

<•;£-  FI  U  S  much  being  premifed  with  re- 
«  ■epjp.moD.efe,  r  lation  to  the  feripture  terms  common¬ 
s'  |  „  |  ly  made  ufe  of  in  this  controversy,  \v« 

^  X  ^  F  fv  Ifa’d*  now,  proceed  to  take  a  nearer 
t’  .  v;ew  Qx.  jij-j  jilo-h  and  myilerious  article. 

And, 


I.  We,  with  the  feripture?,  afiert,  that  there  is  a 
predeftination  of  fome  particular  perfens  to  life,  for  the 
praifie  of  the  glory  of  divine  grace  ;  and  a  predefi' na¬ 
tion  of  other  particular  perfons  to  death  :  which  death 
of  pun  inline  in  they  ihall  inevitably  undergo,  and  that 
juflly,  on  account  of  their  tins.  (1.)  ‘  There  is  apre- 
4  destination  cf  fome  particular  perfons  to  life.’  So, 
j£at,  z-'s.  if  41  lUany  me  called,  but  few  chofen 

/.  e. 


[  S7  3 

h  e.  the  gofpel  revelation  come?,  indiscriminately, 
to  great  multitudes  ;  but  few  comparatively  fpeaking, 
ise Spiritually  and  eternally  the  better  for  it,  and  thefe 
few,  to  whom  it  is  “  the  favour  of  life  unto  life,”  are 
therefore  favingly  benefited  by  it,  becaufe  they  are  the 
chofen ,  or  elect  of  God.  To  the  fame  effeii  are  the 
following  psifag'es,  among  many  others ;  Mat.  xxiv. 
22.  “  For  the  elects  fake,  thofedays  fhall  be  fhorten- 
“  ed.”  Afts  xiii.  48.  “  As  many  as  were  ordained  to 
“  eternal  life,  believed,”  Rom.  viii.  30.  “  Whom 
“  he  did  predeftinate,  them  he  alfo  called.”  And,  verfe 
33,  “  Who  fhall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God’s 
“  eleft  ?”  Eph.  i.  4,  3.  “  According  as  he  hath  chofen 
“  us  in  him,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that 
“  we  fhould  be  holy,”  See.  “  Having  predellinated  us 
“  to  the  adoption  or  children,  by  Jefus  Chrift,  unt© 
“  himfelf,  according  to  the  good  pleafure  of  his  will.1* 
2  Tim.  i,  9.  “  Who  hath  faved  us,  and  called  us  with 
“  an  holy  calling,  not  according  to  our  works,  but  ac» 
“  cording  to  his  own  purpofe  and  grace,  which  vvaa 
11  given  us,  in  Chrib,  before  the  world  began.”  (2.} 
This  election  of  certain  individuals  unto  eternal  life, 
was  ‘  for  the  praife  of  the  glory  of  divine  grace.’  This 
is  cxprefsly  aborted,  in  fo  many  words,  by  the  Apoftle, 
Eph.  i.  3,  6.  Grace,  or  mere  favour ,  was  the  impulfive 
caufe  of  all :  It  was  the  main  fpring ,  which  fet  all  the 
inferior  wheels  in  motion.  ’Twas  an  aiTt  of  grace,  in 
in  God,  to  chufe  any ;  when  he  might  have  palled 
by  all :  ’Twas  an  aeft  of  fovereign  grace,  to  chufe  this 
man,  rather  than  that ;  when  both  were  equally  un¬ 
done  in  themfelves,  and  alike  obnoxious  to  his  dii- 
pleafure.  In  a  word,  lince  election  is  not  of  works,  and 
does  not  proceed  on  the  lead  regard  had  to  any  worthi¬ 
ness  in  its  objects  ;  it  mud  be  of  free,  unbiaffed  grace  : 
but  election  is  not  of  works,  Rom.  xi.  3,  6.  therefore, 
it  is  folely  of  grace.  (3.)  There  is,  on  the  other  hand, 
*  a  predeflination  of  feme  particular  perfons  to  death/ 
2  Cor.  iv.  3.  “  It  our  gofpel  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them 
“that  are  lob.”  1  Pet.  ii.  8,  “  Who  bumble  at  the 
“  word,  being  difobedient  ;  whereunto  alfo  they  were 
“  appointed,  2  Pet.  ii,  12.  “  Thefe,  as  natural  brute 

“  beads, 


[  5§  3 

“  beafts,  mad^to  be  taken  and  deuroyed.”  Jude,  verfe 
4,  “  There  are  certain  men,  crept  in  unawares,-  who 
“  were  before,  of  old,  ordained  to  this  condemnation.” 
Rev.  xvii/  8.  “  Whofe  names  were  not  written  in  the 
“  book  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.”  But 
of  this  we  (hall  treat  profeffedly,  and  more  at  large,  in 
the  fifth  chapter.  (4.)  This  future  ‘  death  they  lhail 
1  inevitably  undergo  i  for,  as  God  will  certainly  l*ve 
all,  whom  he  wiil?  fhoula  he  faved  ;  fo  he  will  as  itfre- 
ly  condemn  all,  whom  he  wills  fhall  be  condemned ; 
for  he  is  the  judge* of  the  whole  earth,  whofe  decree 
fhall  ftand,  and  from  whofe  fentence  there  is  no  appeal. 
“  Hath  he  faid,  and  fhall  he  not  make  it  good  ?  hath  he 
“  fpoken,  and  fhall  it  not  tome  to  pafsr”  And  his  decree 
is  this ;  that  thefe,  i.  c.  the  noiweleft,  who  are  left 
under  the  guilt  of  final  impenitence,  unbelief,  and 
fin,  “  fhall  go  away  into  everl&fting  puniihments  ;  and 
“  the  righteous,”  i.e.  thofe  who,  in  confequence  of  their 
election  in  Chrift,  and  union  to  him,  are  juftly  reputed , 
and  really  conjlituted  luch,  fhall  enter  into  life  eternal , 
Mat.  xxv.  46.  (4.)  The  reprobate  fhall  undergo  thii 

punifhm  nt  ‘  juftly,  ahd  on  account  of  their  fins.  Sin 
is  the  meritorious  and  immediate  caufe  of  any  man’s  dam¬ 
nation.  God  condemns  and  pur.ifhes  the  non-eleft,  not 
merely  as  men,  but  as  tinners :  and,  had  it  pleated  the 
great  Governor  of  the  univerfe,  to  have  entirely  pre¬ 
vented  fin  from  having  any  entrance  into  the  world,  it 
fhould  l'ecm  as  if  he  could  not,  confidently  with  hi# 
known  attributes,  have  condemned  any  man  at  all. 
But,  as  all  fin  is  properly  meritorious  of  eternal  death; 
and  all  men  are  linners ;  they,  who  are  condemned, 
are  condemned  moil:  jufily,  and  thofe  who  are  faved, 
in  a  way  of  fovereign  mercy,  through  the  vicariou* 
obedhnee  and  death  of  Chrilf  for  them. 

Now,  this  twofold  predeftination,  of  fome  to  life, 
and  of  others  to  death,  (if  it  may  he  called  twofold, 
both  being  canftitucnt  parts  of  the  fame  decree)  can¬ 
not  be  denied,  without  likewiie  denj  ing,  1.  mod  ‘  ex- 
*  prels  and  frequent  declarations  of  feripture,’  and,  2. 
the  very  ‘  exigence  of  God  tor,  fince  God  is  a  be¬ 
ing  perfectly  fimple,  free  from  all  accident  and  com- 

pofition, 


[  S9  1 

pofttiou  ;  and  yet,  a  will  to  fave  lome  and  punifli  others 
is  very  often  predicated  of  him  in  feripture  ;  and  an 
immoveable  decree  to  do  this,  in  confequer.ee  of  his 
will,  is  likewife  afcribed  to  him  ;  and  a  perfect  fore- 
Inovdedge  of  the  fare  and  certain  accompliiiiment  of 
what  he  has  thus  willed  and  decreed,  is  aifo  attributed 
to  him  ;  it  follows,  that  whoever  denies  this  will,  de¬ 
cree,  and  fore-knowledge  of  God,  does  implicitly  and 
virtually,  deny  God  himfelf :  fince  his  will,  decree, 
and  foreknowledge,  are  no  other  than  God  himfelf 
willing  and  decreeing  and  foreknowing, 

II.  We  affert,  that  Gad  did,  from  eternity,  decree, 
to  make  mati  in  his  own  image  ;  and  alfo  decreed  to 
fuflfer  him  to  fall,  from  that  image  in  which  he  fhould 
be  created,  and,  thereby,  to  forfeit  the  happinefs  with 
which  he  was  inverted :  which  decree,  and  the  confe- 
quences  of  it,  were  not  limited  to  Adam  only  ;  but  in¬ 
cluded,  and  extended  to,  all  his  natural  porterity. 

Something  of  this  was  hinted  already,  in  the  preced¬ 
ing  chapter  :  we  fhall  now  proceed  to  the  proof  of  it. 
And,  (i.)  That  God  did  make  man  in  his  own  image, 
is  evident  from  feripture,  Gen.  i.  27.  That  the 

decree  from  eternity  fo  to  make  man,  is  as  evident ; 
fince,  for  God  to  do  any  thing  without  having  decreed 
it,  or  fixed  a  previous  plan  in  his  own  mind,  would  be 
a  man! tell  imputation  on  his  vdfdom  :  and,  if  he  de¬ 
creed  that  now,  or  at  any  time,  which  he  did  not  al¬ 
ways  decre~,  he  could  not  be  unchangeable.  (3.)  That 
man  actually  did  fall  from  the  divine  image,  and  his 
original  happinefs,  is  the  undoubted  voice  of  feripture, 
Gen.  iii.  And,  (4.)  That  he  fell  in  confequence  of 
the  divine  decree  *,  we  prove  thus  :  God  was  either 
’■Milling  that  Adam  mould  fall  ;  or  unwilling ;  or  indif-  - 
ferent  about  it.  If  God  was  unwilling,  that  Adam 
fhould  tranigrefs,  how  came  it  to  pafs  that  he  did  r  Is 
man  rtronger,  and  is  Satan  wifer,  than  he  that  made 

them  ? 


*  See  this  article  judicioufly  rtated,  and  nervcufsly 
aflerted,  by  Witsius,  in  his  Oecon,  1.  x,  cap.  8, 
§  10—25. ' 


[  6c  ] 

them  ?  Surely,  no.  Again  ;  could  not  God,  had  it 
fo  pleafed  him,  have  hindered  the  tempter’s  accefs  to 
paradife  ?  or  have  created  man,  as  he  did  the  elect  an¬ 
gels,  with  a  will  invariably  determined  to  good  only, 
and  incapable  of  being  bialied  to  evil?  or,  at  lead,  have 
made  the  grace  and  flrength,  with  which  he  indued 
Adam,  a  (dually  efiedlual  to  the  refilling  of  all  felicita¬ 
tions  to  fin  ?  N  one  but  Atheifls,  would  anlwer  thefe 
queflions  in  the  negative.  Surely,  if  God  had  not  wil¬ 
led  the  fall,  he  could,  and  no  doubt,  would  have  pre¬ 
vented  it :  but  he  did  not  prevent  it :  ergo,  he  willed 
it.  And,  if  he  willed  it,  he  certainly  decreed  it :  for 
the  decree  of  God  is  nothing  elle  but  the  fpal  and  rati¬ 
fication  of  his  will.  He  does  nothing,  but  what  he  de¬ 
creed  ;  and  he  decreed  nothing,  which  he  did  not  will : 
and  both  will  and  decree  are  absolutely  eternal,  though 
the  execution  of  both  be  in  time.  The  only  way,  to 
evade  the  torce  of  this  reafening,  is,  to  fay,  that  ‘  God 
4  was  indiferent  and  unconcerned ,  whether  man  flood  or 
4  fell.’  But  in  what  a  fhameful,  unworthy  light  does 
this  reprefent  the  Deity  !  Is  it  polfhle  for  us  to  ima¬ 
gine,  that  God  could  be  an  idle,  carelefs  fpedlator,  of 
one  of  the  moft  impottant  events  that  ever  came  to 
pafs  ?  Are  not  “  the  very  heirs  of.  our  head  all  num- 
“  bered  ?”  or  does  “  a  fparrow  fall  to  the  ground, 
“  without  our  heavenly  Father?”  If,  then,  things,  the 
snofl  trivial  and  worthlefs,  are  fubjeft  to  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  his  decree,  and  the  controul  of  his  providence; 
how  much  more  is  Man,  the  mailer  piece  of  this  lower 
creation  ?  and,  above  all,  that  man  Adam,  who,  when 
recent  firm  his  Maker’s  hands,  w  as  the  living  image 
of  God  himfelf,  and  very  little  inferior  to  angels !  and 
on  whofe  perfeverance,  was  fufpended  the  welfare,  not 
of  himfelf  only,  but  likewife,  that  of  the  whole  world. 
But  fo  far  was  God  lrom  being  indifferent  in  this  mat¬ 
ter,  that  there  is  nothing  whatever,  about  which  he 
is  fo ;  for  he  “  worketh  all  things,”  without  exception, 
“  after  the  counfel  of  his  own  will,”  Eph.  i.  i  r.  eor.fe- 
qucntly,  if  he  poiitively  v.  ills  whatever  is  dene,  he 
cannot  be  indifferent  with  regard  to  any  thing.  On 
the  whole  ;  if  Gcd  was  not  unwilling  that  Adaui  fi.ould 

Jail 


C  61  ] 

fall,  lie  mu  ft  have  been  willing  that  he  fhould  :  ft  nee, 
between  God’s  willing  and  nilling,  there  is  no  medi-  * 
um,  and  is  it  not  highly  rational ,  as  well  as  f  riptural ; 
nay,  is  it  not  abfolutely  neceffary,  to  fuppofe,  that  the 
fail  was  not  contrary  to  the  will  and  determination  of 
God  ?  lince,  if  it  was  his  will  (which  the  Apoille  rc- 
pjefents  as  being  irref/lible,  Rom.  ix.  19.)  was  appa- 
rently  fruftrated,  and  his  determination  rendered  of 
worie  than  none  effect.  And  how  difhonourable  to, 
how  inconfiftent  with,  and  now  notorioufly  l'ubverftve 
of  the  dignity  of  God,  l'uch  a  blafphemous  fuppofition 
would  be,  and  how  irrecoricileable  with  every  one  of 
his  allowed  attributes,  is  very  eafy  to  obferve.  (5.)  That 
man,  by  his  fall,  forfeited  the  happinefs  with  which 
he  was  inverted,  is  evident,  as  well  from  lcripture,  as 
from  experience  ;  Gen.  iii.  7,  10,  16,  17,  18,  19,  23, 
24.  Rom.  v.  12.  Gal.  iii.  10.  He  firlt  litined,  (and 
the  efience  of  iin  lies  in  difobedience  to  the  command 
of  God)  and  then,  immediately,  became  miferable ; 
lliifery  being,  through  the  divine  appointment,  the  na¬ 
tural  and  infeparable  concomitant  of  ftn.  (6.)  That 
the  fall,  and  its  fad  confeqiiences,  did  not  terminate 
folely  in  Adam,  but  affect  his  whole  pofterity,  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  facred  oracles  :  Pfalm  li.  Rom.  v.  12, 
14,  i£,  17,  iS,  19.  1  Cor. xv.  22.  Eph.  ii.  3.  Befides, 
not  only  lpiritual  and  eternal,  but  likewife  temporal 
death  is  the  wages  of  Jin ,  Rom.  vi.  23.  James  i.  1 4. 
And  yet,  we  fee  that  millions  of  infants,  who  never,  in 
their  own  perfons,  either  did  or  could  commit  fin,  die 
continually.  It  follows,  that  either  God  mull  be  un- 
jurt,  in  punifhiag  the  innocent ;  or  that  thefe  infants 
are,  fome  way  or  other,  guilty  creatures :  if  they  are 
not  fo  in  themfelves,  (I  mean  addually  fo,  by  their  own 
commilhon  of  fin)  they  mull:  be  fo  in  fome  other  per- 
fon  ;  and  who  that  perfon  is,  let  feripture  fay,  Rom.  v. 
12,  1 S.  1  Cor.  xv.  22.  And,  I  afk,  hew  can  thefe  be, 
with  equity,  fharers  in  Adam’s  punifhment,  unlefs  they 
are  chargeable  with  his  fin  ?  and  how  can  they  be  fair¬ 
ly  chargeable  with  his  fin,  unlefs  he  was  their  ftederal 
head  and  reprefentative,  and  added  in  their  name,  and 
fuflained  their  perfons,  when  he  fell  ? 


III.  We 


[  62  ] 

III.  We  alTcrt,  that,  as  all  men,  univerfally,  ate  not 
.elected  to  falvation  ;  fo  neither  are  all  men,  univerfally, 
ordained  to  condemnation.  This  follows  from  what 
lias  been  proved  already  :  however,  1  flail  fulyoin 
fome  farther  demcnflration  of  thele  two  politions.  (i.) 
‘  All  men  univerfally  are  not  elected' to  falvation.’  And, 
f.\ /’,  this  may  be  evinced  a  pofteriori  :  ’tis  undeniable, 
trom  fcripture,  that  God  will  not,  in  the  laid  day,  fave 
every  individual  of  mankind  ;  Dan.  xii.  2.  Mat.  :  xv, 
46.  John  v.  29.  Therefore,  fay  we,  God  never  de¬ 
fined  to  fare  every  individual  :  iince,  if  he  had,  ever 
iy  individual  would  and  mud  be  laved,  for  “  h" s 
“  counfel  lhall  Hand,  and  he  will  do  all  his  pleafurc.” 
See  what  we  have  already  advanced,  on  this  head,  in 
the  lirft  chapter,  und.r  the  fecond  article,  poiition  8. 
Secondly,  this  may  be  evinced,  alfo,  from  G  od’s  fore- 
'knowledge.  The  Deity,  from  all  eternity,  and,  confe- 
quently,  at  the  very  time  be  gives  life  and  being  to  a 
reprobate,  certainly  foreknew  and  knows,  in  conle- 
tjuence  of  his  own  decree,  that  fuch  an  one  would  fall 
Ihort  offalvation  :  now,  it  God  foreknew  this,  he  mud 
have  predetermined  it;  becaufe  his  own  will  is  the 
foundation  of  his  decrees,  and  his  decrees  are  the  foun¬ 
dation  of  his  prefcience  ;  he  therefore  foreknowing  fu¬ 
turities,  becaufe,  by  his  prededination,  he  hath  render¬ 
ed  their  futurition  certain  and  inevitable.  Neither  is 
it  pollible,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  thing,  that  they 
Jhould  be  elected  to  falvation,  or  ever  obtain  it,  whom 
God  foreknew  Ihould  peridi  :  for  then  the  divine  aft  of 
preterition  would  be  changeable,  wavering  and  preca¬ 
rious  ;  the  divine  foreknowledge:  would  be  deceived  ; 
and  the  divine  will  impeded.  All  which  ate  utterly 
im pollible.  Laftly ,  That  all  men  are  not  chofen  to 
life,  nor  created  to  that  end  is  evident,  in  that  there 
lire  feme  who  were  bated  of  God,  before  they  were 
born,  Rom.  ix.  11,  12,  13.  are  fitted  for  dcfru&ion, 
verfe  22.  and  made  for  the  dev;  ef  evil,  l’rov.  xvi.  1. 

Cut,  (2.)  ‘  All  men  univerfally  are  r.ot  ordained  to 
4  condemnation/  There  are  lbme  who  ate  chofen , 
Mat.  xx.  16.  An  drill  on ,  cr  elect  number,  who  obtain 
^race  and  falvation,  while  tbi  ~cfi  are  blinded,  Rom.  xi. 

7.  a 


[  63  J 

ji  a  little  flock,  to  whom  “  it  is  the  Father’s  good  plea* 
“  lure  to  give  the  kingdom,”  Luke  xii.  32.  A  people 
whom  the  Lord  hath  referveJ,  Jer.  1.  20.  and  formed 
■far  himfefi  Ifai.  xliii.  21.  A  peculiarly  1'avoured  race, 
to  whom  “  it  is  given  to  know  the  myfteries  of  the 
“  kingdom  of  heaven  while  toothers,  it  is  not  given, 
Mat.  xiii.  ii.  “a  remnant  according  to  the  election  or 
“  grace,”  Rom.  xi.  3.  whom  “  God  hath  not  appoint* 
“  ed  to  wrath,  but  to  obtain  falvation  by  J  elus  Chriil,” 
1  Thcf.  v.  9.  In  a  jvord,  who  are  “  a  chofen  gene* 
“  ration,  a  royal  priefthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar 
“  people,  that  they  Ihould  ihew  forth  the  prailes  or 
“  him,  who  hath  called  them  out  of  darknels,  into  his 

mitvdlous  light,”  1  Pet.  ii.  9.  And  whole  names , 
for  that  very  end,  arc  in  the  look  of  life,  Phil.  iv.  3.  and 
written  in  heaven ,  Luke  20.  Heb.  xii.  23.  Luther  * 
obferves,  that,  in  the  9th,  10th,  and  nth  chapters  or 
the  epiftle  to  the  Romans,  the  Apoftle 'particularly 
inlifts  on  the  Doctrine  of  Predeftination  ;  ‘  Becaufe,’ 
fays  he,  ‘  All  things,  whatever,  arife  from,  and  de-4 
‘  pend  upon  the  divine  appointment  ;  whereby  it  was 
‘  preordained,  who  Ihould  receive  the  word  of  life,  and 
4  who  Ihould  dilbelieve  it ;  who  fliould  be  delivered  from 
‘  their  lins,  and  who  Ihould  be  hardened  in  them  ; 
4  who  ihould  be  juftified,  and  who  condemned.” 

IV.  We  aflert,  that  the  number  of  the  eh- hi,  and  alio 
of  the  reprobate ,  is  fo  fixed  and  determinate ,  that  neither 
Can  be  augmented  or  diminifhed. 

Mis  written  of  God,  that  “  he  telleth  the  number 
“  of  the  liars,  arid  calleth  them  all  by  their  names,  • 
Pialm  cxlvii.  4.  Now,  ’tis  as  incompatible  with  the  in¬ 
finite  wifdom  and  knowledge  of  the  all-comprehending 
God,  to  be  ignorant  of  the  names  and  number  of  the 
rational  creatures  he  has  made,  as  that  he  fliould  be  ig¬ 
norant  of  the  liars,  and  the  other  inanimate  prod  tufts  of 
his  almighty  power  ;  and  it  he  knows  all  men  in  gene¬ 
ral,  taken  in  the  lump,  he  may  well  be  laid,  in  a  more 
near  and  fpecial  fenfe,  to  know  them  that  are  his  bv 
election,  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  And,  it  he  knows  who  are  his , 
F  2  he 

*  In  Pnefat.  ad  epift.  ad  Rom, 


•[  1 

he  muft,  confequently,  know  who  are  not  his,  i.  e. 
<tvbom,  and  bow  many,  he  hath  left,  in  the  corrupt  mats, 
to  be  juilly  punilled  for  their  fins.  Grant  this,  (and 
who  can  help  granting  a  truth  lb  lelf-evident  r)  and  it 
follows,  that  the  number,  as  well  of  the  cleft,  as  of  the 
reprobate,  is  fixed  and  certain  ;  otherwile,  God  would 
be  laid  to  know  that  which  is  not  true,  and  his  know* 
ledge  mult  be  fall'e  and  delufive,  and  fo  no  knowledge 
at  all :  lince  that  which  is,  in  itfelf,  at 'bell,  but  pre¬ 
carious,  can  never  be  tire  foundation  of  fine  and  infal¬ 
lible  knowledge.  But,  that  God  does,  indeed  precifely 
know,  to  a  man,  who  are,  and  are  not,  the  objects  of 
his  electing  favour  ;  is  evident  from  fuch  leriptures  a* 
thefe,  Exod.  xxxiii.  17.  “  Thou  had  found  grace  in 
“  my  fight,  and  1  know  thee  by  name.”  Jer.  i.  “  Be- 
“  fore  I  formed  thee  In  the  belly,  I  knew  thee.”  Luke 
at.  20.  “  Your  names  are  written  in  heaven.”  Luke  xii. 
7.  “  The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.15 
John  xiii.  iS.  “I  know  whom  I  have  chofen.”  John 
x.  14.  “I  know  my  fleep,  and  am  known  of  mine.” 
x  Tim.  ii.  19.  “  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his.rt 
And,  if  the  number  of  thefe  is  thus  affuredly  fettled 
and  exaftly  known,  it  follows,  that  we  are  right  in  af- 
'ferling, 

V.  That  the  decrees  of  eleefion  and  reprobation  are 
.immutable  and  irrevifible. 

Were  not  this  the  cafe,  (1.)  God’s  decree  would  ha 
precarious,  frufirablc,  and  uncertain  ;  and,  by  confe- 
t] uence,  no  decree  at  all.  (2.)  His  foreknowledge  would 
be  wavering,  indeterminate,  and  liable  to  diiappoint- 
ment ;  whereas,  it  always  has  its  accomplishment,  and 
■neceffarily  infers  the  certain  futurity  of  the  thing  or 
things  foreknown  :  Ifai.  xlvi.  9,  10.  “  I  am  God,  and 
“  there  is  none  like  nr,  declaring  the  end  from  the  be- 
“  ginning,  and,  from  ancient  times,  the  things  that  arc 
“'not  yet  done  ;  faying,  My  counfe!  fball  Hand,  and  I 
“  will  do  all  my  1  ltafure.  (3.)  Neither  would  his 
word  be  true,  which  declares,  that  with  regard  ro  the 
oleift,  “  the  gifts  and  calling  ol  God  are  without  repen- 
“  unce,”  Rom.  xi.  29.  tlut  “  whom  he  predellinated, 

“  them 


[  6*  1 

lL  them  lie  alio  glorified,”  chap.  viii.  30.  that  11  whom 
“  he  loveth,  he  loveth  to  the  end/'  John  xiii.  1.  with 
numberlefs  paifages  to  the  fame  purpofe.  Nor  would 
his  word  be  true,  with  regard  to  the  non-elect,  if  it  was 
poifible  for  them  to  be  laved  :  for  it  is  there  declared, 
that  they  are  “  fitted  for  deftruftion,”  &c.  Rom.  ix.  22. 
“  Foreordained  unto  condemnation,”  Jude  4.  and  “  ae- 
“  livered  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,”  in  order  “  to  their 
“  daTnnation,”  Rom.  i.  2S.  2  Thef.  ii.  12.  (4.)  If, 

between  the  eleft  and  reprobate,  there  was  not  a  great 
gulph  fixed,  fo  that  neither  can  be  othenvife  than  they 
are  ;  then,  the  will  of  God,  (which  is  the  alone  caufe 
why  fome  are  chofen  and  others  are  not)  would  be 
rendered  inefficacious  and  of  no  effect.  (  4.)  Nor  could 

th 0  juft  ice  of  God  Hand,  if  he  was  to  condemn  the  elect, 
for  whofs  fins  he  hath  received  ample  faiisfadlion  at  the 
hand  ofChriil  ;  or  if  he  was  tofave  the  reprobate,  who 
are  not  interelled  in  C brill,  as  the  eleft  are.  (6.)  The 
power  of  God  (whereby  the  ele£t ,  are  preferred  front 
falling  into  a  ilate  of  condemnation,  and  the  wicked 
held  down  and  ffiiut  up  in  a  Hate  of  death)  would  be 
eluded,  not  to  fay  utterly  abolithed.  (7.)  Nor  would 
God  be  unchangeable ,  .if  they,  who  were  once  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  his  love,  could  commence  the  objects  of  his  hat¬ 
red  ;  or  if  the  veffiels  of  his  wrath,  could  be  faved  with 
the  veffiels  of  grace.  Hence  that, of  St.  Auilin  ;  *  ‘  Bre- 

*  thren/  fays  he,  ‘  let  us  not  imagine,  that  God  puts 

*  down  any  man  in  his  book,  and  then  erafes  him  :  for, 

*  if  Pilate  could  fay/  “  What  I  have  written,  I  have 
“  written £  how  can  it  be  thought,  that  the  Great 
‘  God  would  write  a  perfon’s  name  in  the  book  of 
‘  life,  and  then  blot  it  out  again  r’  And  may  we  nor, 
with  equal  reafon,  afk,  on  the  other  hand,  How  can  it 
be  thought,  that  any  cf  the  reprobate  fliouid  be  written 
in  that  book  of  life,  which  contains  the  names  of  the 
elect  only  ?  or,  that  any  Ihould  be  infcribed  there,  who 
were  not  veritten.  among  the  living  from  eternity  ?  I  lhall 
Conclude  this  chapter  with  that  obfervation  of  Luther  f , 

‘  This/  fays  he,  ‘  is  the  very  thing  that  razes  the  doc- 

F  3  4  tisine 

*  Tom.  8.  in  Pfalm  63.  col.  738, 

•j*  Be  Serv.  Arbitr,  cap.  168, 


[  66  ] 

‘  trine  of  free-will  from  its  foundations  :  to  wit,  that' 
‘  God’s  eternal  love  of  fome  men,  and  hatred  of  others, 
*  is  immutable  and  cannot  be  reverted.”  Both  one  and 
the  other,  will  have  its  full  accomplifhmenr. 

C  H  A  P.  III. 

Concerning  Election  unto  Life  ;  or,  PredeftinatioB, 
as  it  refpecls  the  Saints  in  particular . 


“  tain  falvation  by  Jems  Uhnit,’' 
»R. XXXX Si  1  Phef.  v.  9.  I  now  come  to  conii- 
der,  more  dilHndfly,  that  branch  oi  it,  which  relates 
to  the  Saints  only,  and  is  commonly  filled  Election. 
Its  definition  1  have  given  already,  in  the  dole  or  th& 
firil  chapter  :  what  I  have  farther  to  advance,  fiorn  the 
feriptures,  on  this  important  f'ubjed,  I  flail  redt  ce  to 
1’everal  Pofitions  ;  and  iubjoin  a  fhort  explanation  and 


confirmation  of  each. 

Pof.  1 .  Thofe,  who  are  ordained  unto  eternal  life,  were 
not  fo  ordained  on  account  of  any  worthinefs  forefeen 
in  them,  err  of  any  good  works  to  be  wrought  by  them  ; 
nor  yet  for  their  future  faith  :  but  purely  and  folely, 
of  free  fovereign  grace,  and  according  to  the  mere 
plealure  of  God.  This  is  evident,  among  other  ccn- 
fiderations,  from  this  ;  that  faith,  repentance  and  ho- 
linefs,  are  no  lefs  the  free  gifts  of  God,  than  eternal 
life  itfelf.  Eph.  ii.  8.  “  Faith— is  not  of  yourfdves,  it 
“  is  the  gift  of  God.”  Phil.  i.  29.  “  Unto  you  it  is 
“  given  to  believe.”  Ads.  v.  31.  “  Fliin  hath  God 
<<  exalted  with  h:s  right  hand,  tor  to  give  repentance.” 
Adis.  xi.  18.  “  Then  hath  God  rdfo  to  the  Gentiles 
“  ^ranted  repentance  unto  life.”  In  like  manner,  bo¬ 
lls  fs  is  called  the  Janftificatitn  of  the  Spirit }  2  Thef.  ii. 


*3- 


[  6;  ] 

13.  becaufe  the  divine  Spirit  is  the  efficient  of  it  in  the 
foul,  and  of  unholy  nukes  us  holy.  Now,  if  repen¬ 
tance  and  faith  are  the  gifts,  and  fandfification  is  the 
work  of  God  ;  then  thefe  are  not  the  fruits  of  man’s 
free  will,  nor  what  he  acquires  of  himfelf  :  and  fo  can 
neither  he  motives  to,  nor  conditions  of,  his  eledlion, 
which  is  an  adl  of  the  divine  mind,  antecedent  to,  and 
ifrefpctti'vc  of,  all  qualities,  whatever  in  the  perfons 
elected.  Borides  the  Apoflde  affects,  exprefsly,  that 
election  is  “  not  of  works,  but  of  him  that  calieth  ;”and 
that  is  paired,  before  the  perfons  concerned  had  “  acne 
“  either  good  or  evil,”  Rom.  ix.  1 1.  Again,  if  faith 
or  works  were  the  caufe  of  eledlion,  God  could  not  be 
faid  to  chufe  us,  but  we  to  chufe  him  ;  contrary  to  the 
whole  tenour  of  feripture ;  John  xv.  16.  “Ye  have 
“  not  chofen  me,  but  I  have  ehofen  you.”  1  John  iv» 
30,  19.  “Herein  is  love,  not  that  vve  loved  God,  but 
“  that  he  loved  us.  We  love  him,  becaufe  he  firil 
“  loved  us.”  Eledlion  is  every  where,  alferted  to  be 
God’s  adl  and  not  man’s;  Mark  xiii.  20.  Rom.  ix.  17. 
Eph.  i.  4.  r  Thef.  v.  9.  2  Thef.  ii.  13.  Once  more, 
we  are  chofen  that  we  might  be  holy,  not  becaufe  ’twas 
forefeen  we  would  be  fo,  Eph.  i.  4.  theiefore,  to  re- 
prefent  holinefs  as  the  reafon  why  we  were  eledted,  is 
to  make  the  effedt  antecedent  to  the  caufe.  The  Apo- 
fHe  adds,  verf.  3.  “  having  predeftinated  us  according 
“  to  the  goodpleafure  of  his  will  moll  evidently  im¬ 
plying,  that  God  faw  nothing  extra  fe,  had  no  motive 
from  without  why  he  fhould  either  chufe  any  at  all,  or 
this  man  before  another.  In  a  word,  the  eledt  were  freely 
loved,  Hof.'xiv.  4V freely  chofen ,  Rom.  xi.  3,6.  and  freely 
redeemed,  Ifni  Hi.  3.  they  are  freely  called,  2  Tim.  i.  9. 
freely  jufified,  Rom.  iii.  24.  and'  ihall  be  freely  glorified, 
Rom.  vi.  23.  Thh  great  Augustin,  in  his  book  of 
Rctrailatioris,  mgenuofly  acknowledges  his  error,  in 
having  once  thought,  that  faith  forefeen  was  a  condi¬ 
tion  of  eledlion  :  he  owns,  that  that  opinion  is  equal¬ 
ly  impious  and  abfurd  ;  and  proves,  that  faith  is  one 
of  the  fruits  of  eledlion,  and  confequently,  could  not 
be,  in  any  fenfe,  a  caufe  of  it ;  ‘I  could  never  have 
*  aliened,’  fays.  he,  1  that  Gpdj  Ivy  glraiirq*  mep  to  ItCe* 


\ 


[  63  ] 

‘'had  any*  refpefl:  to  their  faith,  had  I  duly  confider- 
‘  ed,  that  faith  itieir  is  his  own  gift.’  Anu  in  another 
treatife  of  his  *,  he  has  thefe  words  ;  ‘  Since  Chrift 

*  fays,  ye  have  not  ebofen  me,  &c.  I  would  tain  alk, 
‘  whether  it  be  fcriptural,  to  fay,  we  mult  have  faith, 
‘  before  we  are  elected  ;  and  not,  rather,  that  we  are 

*  elected  in  order  to  our  having  faith  r’ 

Pof  2.  As  many  as  are  ordained  to  eternal  life,  are 
ordained  to  enjoy  that  life  in  and  through  Chrift ,  and 
on  account  of  his  merits  alone,  i  Thef.  v.  9.  Here 
let  it  be  carefully  obferved,  that  not  the  merits  of 
Chrift,  but  the  fovereign  love  of  God  only,  is  the 
caufe  of  Election  itfelf :  but  then,  the  merits  ofChrilfc 
are  the  alone  procuring  caufe  of  that fahration,  to  which 
men  are  elected.  This  decree  of  God  admits  of  no 
caufe  out  of  himfelf:  but  the  thing  decreed,  which  is 
the  glorification  ot  his  chofen  ones,  may  and  does  ad¬ 
mit,  nay,  neceffarily  requires,  a  meritorious  caufe ; 
which  is  no  other  than  the  obedience  and  death  of 
Chrilt. 

Pof.  3.  They,  who  are  predeftinated  to  life,  are 
likewife  predeitinated  to  all  thofe  means,  which  are 
indifpenfably  nece^ary  in  order  to  their  meetnels  tor, 
entrance  upon,  and  enjoyment  of,  that  life  :  inch  as  re¬ 
pentance,  faith,  fandtification  :  and  perfeverance  in 
thefe  to  the  end. 

Adts  xiii.  48.  “  As  many  as  were  ordained  to  eter- 
0  nal  life  believed.”  Eph.  i.  4.  “  He  hath  chofen  us  in 
“  him,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we 
<!  fhould  be  holy,  and  without  blame  before  him  in 
“  love.”  Eph.  ii.  10.  For  we  [i.  e.  tfee  fame  we, 
whom  he  hath  chofen  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world]  “  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Chrift  Je- 
“  fus  unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  fore-ordained 
“  that  we  fhould  walk  in  them.”  And  the  Apoftle 
afiures  the  fame  Thellalonians,  whom  he  reminds  of 
their  election,  and  God’s  everlafting  appointment  of 
them  to  obtain  falvation,  that  this  alio  was  his  will  con¬ 
cerning  them,  even  their  fan&ification,  1  Thtf.  i.  4. 
and  v.  9.  and  iv.  3.  and  gives  them  a  view  of  all  thefe 

privileges 

*  Pe  Prcefoft,  cap.  17. 


[  69  ] 

privileges  at  once,  2  Thef.  ii.  13.  “  God  hath,  from 
“  the  beginning, chofen  you  to  falvation,  through,  fanc- 
“  tification  of  the  Spirit,  and  belied  of  the  truth.”  As 
does  St.  Peter  1  Eph.  i.  2.  “  Elect -—through  fane- 
“  tification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience,  and  fprink- 
“  ling  of  the  blood  of  Jefus  Chrill.”  Now,  though 
faith  and  holineis  are  not  reprefented  as  the  caufe 
wherefore  the  eled'  are  laved  ;  yet,  thefe  are  conliantly 
reprefented,  as  the  means  through  which  they  are  faved, 
or  as  the  appointed  way  wherein  God  leads  his  peopleto 
gloryr  :  theie  bleilings  being  always  befiowed  previous 
to  that.  Agreeable  to  all  which,  is  that  of  Austi  n*: 
‘  Whatfoever  perfons  are,  through  the  riches  ol  divine 

*  grace,  exempted  from  the  original  lentence  of  con- 
‘  demnation,  are  undoubtedly  brought  to  hear  the 

*  Gofpel  -j- ;  and,  when  heard,  they  are  caufed  to  be- 

*  lieve  ;  and  are  made  likewife  to  endure  to  the  end, 

*  in  the  faith  which  works  by  love  ;  and  (hould  they, 
‘  at  any  time,  go  ailray,  they  are  recovered  and  fee 
‘  right  again.’  A  little  after,  he  adds  ;  6  All  thefe 

*  things  are  wrought  in  them  by  that  God,  who  made 
1  them  velfels  of  mercy,  and  who,  by  the  eledion  of 
‘  his  grace,  chofe  them,  in  his  Son,  before  the  world 

*  began.’ 

Pof.  4.  Not  one  of  the  eled:  can  perifh,  but  they 
mull  all  necefiarily  be  faved.  The  reafon  is  this ;  be- 
caufe  God  limply  and  unchangeably  wills,  that  all  and 
every  one  of  thole,  whom  he  hath  appointed  to  lile, 
Ihould  be  eternally  glorified  :  and,  as  was  obferved  to¬ 
ward  the  end  of  the  preceding  chapter,  all  the  divine 
Attributes  are  concerned  in  the  accomplilhment  of  this 
his  will.  His  wifdom ,  which  cannot  err  ;  his  know- 
ledge,  which  cannot  be  deceived  ;  his  truth ,  which  can¬ 
not  fail;  his  love,  which  nothing  can  alienate;  his 
juftice ,  which  cannot  condemn  any,  for  whom  Chrifi: 

died  j 

*  De  Corrept.  &  Graf.  cap.  7. 
f  We  mud  under  {land  this,  in  a  qualified  fenfe  ;  as 
intending,  that  all  thofe  of  the  cleft,  who  live  where 
the  chriftian  dilpenfaticn  obtains,  are  fooner  or  later? 
brought  to  hear  the  gofpel,  and  to  believs  it. 


[  70  1 

filed  ;  his  pmver,  which  none  can  refill: ;  and  thls  jM- 
cbangeablcnefs ,  which  can  never  vary  :  from  all  which 
it  appears,  that  we  do  not  fpeak  at  all  improperly,  when 
we  lay,  that  the  falval'ion  of  his  people  is  neceflary  and 
certain.  Now,  that  is  laid  to  be  necellary  quod  ncquit 
aliter  ejjef  ‘  which  cannot  be  ot he:  wife  than  it  is  and, 
if  all  the  perfections  of  God  are  engaged  to  preferve  and 
fave  his  children,  their  fafety  and  falvation  muft  be, 
in  the  ftrifleft  fen  lb  of  the  word,  nectffary.  See,  Pfulra 
ciii.  ip.  and  cxxv.  i,  2.  Ifuiah  xlv.  ip.  and  liv.  9, 
10.  Jer.  xxxi.  3S.  and  xxxii.  40.  John  vi.  39.  and 
x.  28,  29.  and  xvi,  19.  and  xvii.  12.  Rom.  viii.  30,  38”, 
39.  andxi.  29.  1  Cor  i.  8,  9.  Phil.  i.  6.  1  Pet.  i.  4, 
Thus  St.  Austin*  :  ‘  Ofthofe,  whom  God  hath 
‘  ptedellinated,  none  can  perifh  ;  inafmuch  as  they  are 
‘all  his  own  elefit.’  And,  ib.  1  They  are  the  elecf, 
‘  who  are  predeftinated,  foreknown,  and  called  aecord- 
‘  ing  to  purpofe.  Now,  could  any  of  thele  be  loll, 

*  God  would  be  difappointed  of  his  will  and  expectation  ; 
1  but  he  cannot  be  fo  difappointed ;  therefore,  they 

*  can  never  perith.  Again,  could  they  be  loft,  the 
‘  power  of  God  would  be  made  void  by  man’s  fin  ;  but 

*  his  power  is  invincible:  therefore,  they  are  fate.’ 
And  again,  cap.  9.  4  The  children  of  God  are  written, 

*  with  an  unfhaken  liability,  in  the  book  of  their  he  - 
‘  venly  Father’s  remembrance.’  And,  in  the  fame 
chapter,  he  hath  thefe  words ;  ‘Not  the  children  of 
4  promife,  but  the  children  of  perdition,  fhall  perilh  : 

*  for  the  form  ware  the  predellinated,  who  a-e  called 
'  according  fo  the  divine  determination  ;  not  one  ot 

*  whom  fh .ill  finally  mifcarry/  So  likewife  Luther f  ; 

4  God’s  decree  of  predeftination  is  firm  and  certain, 

*  and  the  rieceffity  refulting  from  it,  is,  in  like  manner, 

‘  immoveable  and  cannot  but  take  place.  For 
4  we  ourfelves  are  fo  feeble,  that,  if  the  matter 
4  was  left  in  our  hands,  very  few,  or  rather  none, 
4  would  be  faved :  but  Satan  would  overcome  us  all.’ 
To  which  he  adds  :  ‘  Now,  finee  this  iledfafi  and  in- 
4  evitable  purpofe  of  God  cannot  be  reverfed  nor  dif- 

4  annulled 

*  Tom.  p.  DeCorf.  &  Grat.  cap.  p. 
f  In  pnsfat.  ad  Epift.  ad  Rom. 


[  71  1 

c  ana  ailed  by  any  creature  whatever  ;  we  have  a  rnpft 

*  allured  hope,  that  we  fliall  finally  triumph  over  fin, 

*  how  violently  foever  it  may,  at  prefen  t,  rage  in  our 
‘  mortal  bodies.'1 

Pof.  The  falvation  of  the  eleft  was  not  the  only, 
nor  yet  the  principal  end  ol  their  being  chofe ;  but 
God’s  grand  end,  in  appointing  them  to  life  ana  hap- 
pinefs,  was,  to  difplay  the  riches  ot  his  own  mercy, 
and  that  he  might  be  glorified  in  and  by  the  perfons  he 
had  thus  cholen. 

For  this  reafon,  the  elect  are  filled  <veffch  of  mercy, 
becaufe  they  were  originally  created,  and,  afterwards, 
by  the  divine  Spirit,  created  a  new,  with  this  defign, 
and  to  this  yery  end,  that  the  ibvereignty  of  the  Fa¬ 
ther’s  grace,  the  freenefs  ot  his  love,  and  the  abun¬ 
dance  of  his  gocdn,efs  might  be  rSHnifeftid  in  their  eter¬ 
nal  Happineft.  Notv,  God,  as  we  have  already,  more 
than  once,  had  occafion  to  obfe*  ve,  does  nothing  in 
time,  which  he  did  not,  from  eternity,  refolve  within 
himfelt  to  do  :  and  if  he,  in  time,  creates  and  regene¬ 
rates  his  people,  with  a  view  to  difplay  his  unbounded 
mercy  ;  he  jriufi,  confequently,  have  decreed,  from 
all  eternity,  to  do  this,  with  the  lame  view.  So  that 
the  final  cattles  ot  election  appear  to  be  thefe  two:  i. 
and  principally,  The  *  glory  of  God  ;  2.  and  fubordi- 

nately, 

<L ==^====2* 

*  Let  it  be  carefully  obferved,  that,  when,  with  the 
feriptures,  we  affert  the  glory  of  God  to  be  the  ultimate 
end  of  his  dealings  with  angels  and  men,  we  do  not 
fpeak  this  with  refpebt  to  his  eflential  glory,  w  hi.ch  he 
has  as  God,  and  which,  as  it  is. infinite,  is  not  iufeepti- 
ble  ot  addition,  nor  capable  of  diminution:  but  or  that 
glory  which  is  purely  manifeftative,  and  which  Micrae- 
lius,  in  his  Lexic.  Philofoph.  col.  471.  defines  to  be, 

‘  Clara  rei,  cum  laude,  ncti’.ia  5  cum,  nepip*,  Ipfa  fua 

enjinentia  eft  magna,  augufta,  et  confpicuu.’  And  the 
accurate  Maftricht,  ‘  Celebratio,  ceu  manit:  ftatio,  (quae 
‘  magis  proprie  giqrificatio,  c.u.tm  gloria,  appellatur) 

‘  qua,  agnita  intus  eminentia,  ejufque  congrua  aeftima- 
‘  'do,  propalatur  &  extolliturd  Thcolog,  lib.  2.  cap.- 
22.  §  8. 


C  v-  1 

irately,  Tlie  falvation  of  thofe  he  has  elected  ;  from 
which  the  roimer  ariies,  and  hy  which  it  is  illuf rated 
and  let  off.  So  Ptov.  xvi.  i.  “  The  Lord  hath  made 
“  all  things  for  hiinfelf.”  And  hence  that  of  Paul,  Eph.i. 
4.  “  He  hath  chofen  us — to  the  praife  of  the  glory  of 
“  his  grace.” 

Pof.  6.  The  end  of  election,  which,  with  regard  to 
the  eledf  themfelves.,  is  eternal  life  ;  I  lay,  this  end,  and 
the  means  conducive  to  if,  iuch  as  the  gift  of  the  Spirit, 
faith,  See.  are  fo  infeparably  connected  together,  that 
whoever  is  poffeffed  of  tbejc ,  {hall  lurely  obtain  that  ■ 
and  none  can  obtain  that ,  who  are  not  firft  poflefled  of 
thefe.  Ads  xiii.  48.  “As  many  as  were  oidained  to 
“  eternal  life,”  and  none  elfe,  “  believed.”  Adts  v.  31.. 
“  Kim  hath  God  esalted— to  give  repentance  unto 
“  Ilrael,  and  remillion  of  lins  not  to  all  men,  or 
to  thofe  who  were  not,  in  the  counlel  and  purpofe  of 
God,  fet  apart  for  himfeif ;  but  to  Ilrael,  all  his  chofen 
people,  who  were  given  to  him,  were  ranfomed  by  him, 
and  (hall  be  faved  in  him  with  an  everlafting  falvation. 
Tit.  i.  1.  “  According  to  the  faith  of  God’s  eledf  fo 
that,  true  faith  is  a  confequence  of  election,  is  peculiar 
to  the  eledf,  and  fnall  iff  u c  in  life  eternal.  Eph.  i.  4. 
“  He  hath  chofen  us— that  we  might  be  holy;”  there¬ 
fore,  all  who  are  chofen,  are  made  holy,  and  none  but 
they  :  and  all  who  are  landfilied,  have  a  right  to  be¬ 
lieve  they  were  elected,  and  that  they  {hall  affuredly  be 
faved.  Rom.  viii.  30.  “  Whom  he  did  predeftinate, 

“  them  he  alfo  called  ;  whom  he  called,  them  he  alfo 
“jollified  ;  and  whom  he  jollified,  them  he  alfo  glori- 
“  fied.”  Which  {hews,  that  efiedtual  calling  and  jufti- 
fication  are  indiffolubly  connedfed  with  election  on  one 
hand,  and  eternal  bappinefe  on  the  other  :  that  they 
are  a  proof  of  the  former,  and  an  earneft  or  the  latter. 
John  x.  26.  “  Ye  believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of 

“  my  flicep  ;”  on  the  contrary,  they,  who  believe, 
therefore  believe,  bec.ru  e  they  are  of  his  flieep.  Faith, 
then,  is  an  evidence  of  election,  or,  of  being  in  the 
number  of  Chriff’s  flic’p  ;  ccnfeqverdy,  ol  falvation  : 
fince  all  his  flieep  (hall  be  fav-  1,  John  x.  28. 

Pof.  7.  The  eledf  may,  through  the  grace  of  God, 

attain 


[  7  3  3 

attain  to  the  knowledge  and  aflinance  of  their  predefti- 
nation  to  hie ;  and  they  ought  to  feek  after  it.  The 
Chriftian  may,  for  inftance,  argue  thus  ;  “  A?  many 
“  as  were  ordained  to  eternal  file,  believed  through 
mercy,  I  believe  :  therefore,  1  am  ordained  to  eternal  ljte. 
“  He  that  believeth,  (hall  be  faved  I  believe  :  there¬ 
fore,  I  am  in  a  faved  Hate.  “  Whom  he  did  predefti- 
“  nate,  he  called,  juftiiied,  and  glorified  I  have  rea- 
fon  to  trull,  that  he  hath  called  and  juftified  me  :  there¬ 
fore  I  can  affuredly  look  backward  on  my  eternal  pre- 
dellination,  and  forward  to  my  certain  glorification.  To 
all  which  frequently  accedes  the  immediate  teftimony 
of  the  divine  Spirit,  witneifing  with  the  believer’s  con- 
fcience,  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  Rom.  viii.  16.  Gal. 
iv.  6.  r  John  v.  io.  Chrift  forbids  his  little  flock  to 
fear,  inafinuch  as  they  might,  on  good  andfolid  grounds, 
reft  fatisfied  and  afllired,  that  “  It  is  the  Father’s”  un¬ 
alterable  “  good  pleafure  to  give  them  the  kingdom,” 
Luke  xii.  32.  And  this  was  the  faith  of  the  Apoltle, 
Rom.  viii.  38,  39. 

Pof  8.  The,  true  believer  ought  not  only  to  be  tho¬ 
roughly  eftablifhed  in  the  point  of  his  -own  election  ; 
but  should  likewile  believe  the  election  of  ali  his  other 
fellow  believers  and  .brethren  in  Chrift.  Now,  as 
there  are  molt  evident  and  indubitable  marks  of 
eleffion,  laid  down  in  lcripture  ;  a  child  of  God,  by 
examining  himfelf,  whether  thofe  marks  are  found  on 
him,  may  arrive  at  a  lbber  and  well-grounded  certainty 
of  his  own  particular  intereft  in  that  itnfpeakable  pri¬ 
vilege  :  and,  by  the  fame  rule,  whereby  he  judges  of 
himfelf,  he  may  likewise  (but  with  caution)  judge  of 
others.  If  I  fee  the  external  fruits  and  criteria  of  elec¬ 
tion,  on  this  or  that  man;  I  may,  reafonably,  and  in  a 
judgment  of  charity,  conclude  fuch  an  one  to  be  aA 
eledt  perfon.  So,  St.  Paul,  beholding  the  gracious 
fruits,  which  appeared  in  the  believing  Theflalonians, 
gathered,  from  thence,  that  they  were  eleHed  of  God, 

1  Theft",  i.  4,  4.  and  knew  alio  the  eleffion  of  the  Chri- 
ftian  Epheflans,  Eph.  i.  4,  4.  as  Peter  alfo  did  that  of 
the  me  .ibers  of  the  churches  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  &c. 
1  Pet.  i.  2.  '  i  is  true,  indeed,  that  all  concluhons  of 
G  this 


[  74  1 

tliis  nature  are  not  now  infallible,  but  our  judgments 
are  liable  to  mi  flake  :  and  God  only,  whofe  is  the  book 
of  life,  and  who  is  the  fearcher  of  hearts,  can  abio- 
lutely  know  them  that  are  his,  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  yet  w'e 
may,  without  a  prefumptuous  intrufioa  into  things  not 
ieen,  arrive  at  a  moral  certainty  in  this  matter.  And  I 
cannot  fee,  how  Chriftian  love  can  be  cultivated ;  how 
we  can  call  one  another  brethren  in  the  Lord  ;  or,  how 
believers  can  hold  religious  fellowship  and  communion 
with  each  other,  unlels  they  have  fome  folid  and  viflble 
eafon  to  conclude,  that  they  are  loved  with  the  fame 
everiafting  love,  were  redeemed  by  the  lame  Saviour, 
are  partakers  of  like  grace,  and  lhall  reign  in  the  fam$ 
glory. 

But,  here  let  me  fuggeft  one  very  necefary  caution, 
viz.  That  though  we  may,  at  leaft  very  probably,  in¬ 
fer  the  eleflion  of  fome  perfor.s,  from  the  marks  and 
appearances  of  grace,  which  may  be  difcoverable  in 
jhem  ;  yet,  vve  can  never  judge  any  man  whatever  to 
be  a  reprobate.  That  there  are  reprobate  perfons,  is 
very  e\  ident  from  feripture  (as  we  lhall  prefently  flew) 
but  who  they. are,  is  known  alone  to  him,  who  alone 
can  tell  who  and  what  men  are  not  written  in  the  Lamb’s 
book  of  life.  I  grant,  that  there  are  fome  particular 
perfons,  mentioned  in  the  divine  word,  of  whofe  repro¬ 
bation  no  doubt  can  be  made ;  fuel)  asEfau  and  Judas: 
but,  now  the  canon  of  feripture  is  completed,  we  dare 
rot,  we  mull:  not  pronounce  any  man  living,  to  be  non- 
eleft,  be  he,  at  prefent,  ever  fo  wicked.  The  viler! 
dinner  may,  for  ought  we  can  tell,  appertain  to  the  elec¬ 
tion  of  grace,  and  bn,  one  day,  wi ought  upon  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  This  we  know,  that  thole  who  die  in 
unbelief,  and  are  finally  un  fan  ft  Ted,  cannot  be  faved  ; 
heeaule  God,  in  his  word,  tells  us  fo,  and  has  repre- 
fented  tbefe  as  marks  of  reprobation  :  but,  to  fay  that 
fuch  and  fuch  individurls,  whom,  perhaps,  we  now 
fee  dead,  in  fms,  lhall  r ever  be  converted  to  Chrifl, 
would  be  a  mofl  prefumptuous  aflertion,  as  well  as  an 
inexcufable  breach  of  tie  charity  which  hopeth  all 
things. 

H  A  r. 


t  7  5  I 

C  H  A  I>.  IV. 

Of  Reprobation;  or  Predestination,  as  it  re- 
fpchls  the  Ungodly. 


i 


\  *  * 
I  * 

fti?- 


II QM  what  has  been  faid,  in  the  pre¬ 
lim  ceding  chapter,  concerning  the  Election 
^  of  fome,  it  would  unavoidably  iollow,r 
even  fuppofing  the  fcriptures  had  been 


lilent  about  it,  that  there  in  nit  be 
jeclion  of  others  ;  as  every  choice  does, 
moft  evidently  and  neeelTarily,  imply  a  refufal :  for, 
where  there  is  no  leaving  out,  there  can  be  no  choice.1 
But,  belide  the  teftimony  of  reafon,  the  divine  word  is 
full  and  expreis  to  our  purpofe  :  it  frequently,  and  in 
terms  too  clear  to  be  mifunderftood,  and  too  ftrong  to 
be  evaded,  by  any  who  are  not  proof  againft  the  molt 
cogent  evidence,  attefts  this  tremendous  truth,  that 
fome  are,  “  of  old,  fore-ordained  to  condemnation.” 
I  fhall,  in  the  difcufiioil  of  this  awful  fubjehf,  follow 
the  method  hitherto  obferved,  and  throw  what  I  have 
to  lay  into  feveral  diftinff  Politioiis,  ftipported  by  Icrip- 
ture. 


Pof  i.  God  did,  from  all  eternity,  decree  to  leave 
lbme  of  Adam’s  fallen  pofterity  in  their  fins,  and  to 
exclude  them  from  the  participation  of  Ghrift  and  his 
benefits, 

For  the  clearing  of  this,  let  it  be  obferved,  that,  in 
all  ages,  the  much  greater  part  of  mankind  have  beers 
deftitute  even  of  the  external  means  of  grace  ;  have  not 
been  favoured  with  the  preaching  of  God’s  word,  or  any 
revelation  of  his  will.  Thus,  anciently,  the  jews, 
who  were,  in  number,  the  teweft  of  ail  people,  were, 
neverthelefs,  for  a  long  feries  ol  ages,  the  only  nation, 
to  whom  the  Deity  was  pleated  to  make  any  fpeeial  dii- 
covery  of  himfelf :  and  ’tis  obfervable,  that  our  Lord 
Ir.mfelf  principally  confined  the  advantages  of  his  pub¬ 
lic  miniftry  to  that  people  ;  nay,  he  forbad  his  difciples 
to  go  among  any  others,  Mat.  x.  r,  6.  and  did  not 
commilfion  thenyto  preach  the  golf  el,  indiferiminate- 


I  76  5 

jy,  to  Jews  and  Gentiles,  ’till  after  hrs  refurreftioa* 
Mark  xvi.  1  Luke  xxiv.  4 7.  Hence,  many  nations 
and  communities  never  had  the  advantage  or  hearing 
the  word  preached;  and,  coni'equently,  were  ftrarigers 
to  the  faith  that  ccineth  thereby.  ’Tis  not,  indeed, 
improbable,  but  home  individuals,  in  thefe  unenlight¬ 
ened  countries,  might  belong  to  the  feeret  election  of 
i  race ;  and  the  habit  of  faith  might  be  wrought  in 
tnefe  :  however,  be  that  as  it  will,  our  argument  is  not 
selected  by  it ;  ’tis  evident,  that  the  nations  or  the  world 
were,  generally,  ignorant,  not  only  of  God  himfelf, 
J  ut  like  wile  ol  the  way  to  pleafe  him,  the  true  manner 
of  acceptance  with  hi  in,  and  the  means  of  arriving  at 
the  everlalting  enjoyment  of  birn.  Now,  if  God  had 
been  pleated  to  have  laved  thole  people,  would  he  not 
have  vouchsafed  them  the  ordinary  means  of  Salvation  ? 
■would  he  not  have  given  them  all  things  necefiary  in 
order  to  that  end  ?  bur,  ’tis  undeniable  matter  of  fadf, 
that  he  did  not ;  and,  to  very  many  nations  of  the 
earth,  does  not,  at  this  day.  it,  then,  the  Deity  can, 
coniifienrly  with  his  attributes,  deny,  to  ft  me,  the 
means  of  grace,  and  H  ut  them  up  in  grofs  darknefs  and 
unbelief ;  why  lhould  it  be  thought  incompatible  with 
2i is  immenfcly  gloiious  perfections,  to  exclude  i'ome 
perfons  Iron)  grace  itfelf,  and  from  that  eternal  life 
which  is  conn  died  with  it?  efpeeially,  feeing  he  is 
equally  the  Lord  and  Sovereign  difpoier  of  the  end,  to 
which  the  means  lead  ;  as  of  the  means,  which  lead  to 
that  end  ?  both  one  and  the  other  a’e  his  ;  and  he 
moft  juftly  may,  as  he  mod  allured  ly  whl,  do  what  he 
plenfes  with  his  own. 

Betides,  it  being  alfo  evident,  that  many,  even  of 
them  who  live  in  places  where  the  gofpel  is  preached, 
v.s  well  as  of  thofe  among  whom  it  never  was  preached, 

«  ie  ftrangers  to  God  and  holinds,  and  without  experi¬ 
encing  any  thing  of  the  gracious  influences  of  his  Spi¬ 
rit  :  we  may  realonably  and  lately  conclude,  that  one 
caufe  of  their  lb  dying,  is,  becaule  it  was  ?ict  the  divine 
will  to  communicate  his  grace  unto  them  :  ltnce,  had 
it  been  his  will,  he  would  actually  have  made  them  par¬ 
takers  thereof ;  and,  had  they  been  partakers  of  it, 


[  77  1 

they  coul  1  not  have  died  without  if.  Now,  if  it  was 
the  will  of  God,  in  time,  to  refufe  them  this  grace  ;  it 
mull:  have  been  his  will  from  eternity  :  lince  his.  will  is, 
as  himfelf, the  fame,  yeiterday,  to-day,  and  forever.” 

The  adlions  of  God  being  thus  fruits  of  his  eternal 
purpofe ,  we  may,  fafely,  and  without  any  danger  of  mil- 
take,  -argue  from  them  to  that ;  and  infer,  that  God 
therefore  does  iu,ch  and  fuch  things,  becaufe  he  de¬ 
creed  to  do  them  :  his  own  will  being  the  foie  caufe  of 
all  his  works.  So  that,  from  his  actually  leaving  Some 
men  in  final  impenitency  and  unbelief,  we  afturediy 
gather,  that  it  was  his  everlafhng  i determination  fo  to- 
do  :  and,  eonfequently,  that  he  reprobated  lome,  from 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

And,  as  this  inference  is  ftrictly  rational,  fo  it  is  per¬ 
fectly  fcriptural.  Thus,  the  judge  will,  in  the  lad  day, 
declare,  to  thofe  on  the  left  hand,  “  I  never  knew 
“  you,”  Mat.  vii.  23.  L  e.  1  I  never,  no,  not  from 
‘  eternity,  loved,  approved,  or  acknowledged  you  for 
‘  mine  or,  in  other  words,  6  1  always  hated  you.’ 
Our  Lord,  in  John  xvii.  divides  the  whole  human 
race  into  t-.vo  great  chides :  one  he  cails  “  the  world 
the  other,  “  the  men  who  were  given  him  on*-  of  the 
“  world.”  The  latter,  it  is  faid,  the  Father  loved, 
even  as  he  loved  Ghrift  himfelf  (verfe  23.)  but  he  lov¬ 
ed  Chrift  “  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,”  ,  verfe 
24.  i.  e.  from  everlafting  :  therefore,  he  loved  the  cleft 
fo  too  :  and,  if  he  lov.-d  thefe  from  eternity,  it  follows, 
by  all  the  rules  of  Antitheiis,  that  he  hated  the  others 
as  early.  So,  Rom.  \x.  “  The  children  not  being  yet" 
“  born,  neither  having  done  good  or  evil,  that  the  pur- 
“  pole  of  God,”  &e.  From  the  example  of  the  two 
twins,  Jacob  and  Eiau,  the  Apoftle  infers  the  eternal 
election  of  fome  men,  and  the  eternal  rejection  of  all 
the  red. 

Pof.  2,  Some  men  were,  from  all  eternity,  not  only 
negatively  excepted  from  a  participation  of  Chrift  and 
his  talvation  ;  hut,  pojhivelv,  ordained  to  continue  in 
their  natural  blindnefs,  hardnefs  of  heart,  &c.-  and  that, 
by  the  jult  judgment  of  God.  See  Exod.  ix.  1  Sam. 
it.  2 r,  2  Sam.  —vii.  14-  If  i.  vi.  c,  10,  11.  2  Thef.  ii, 
C  3  II, 


t  78  1 

11,  12.  Nor  can  tliefe  places  of  fcripture,  with  many 
ethers  of  like  import,  be  underllood  of  an  involuntary 
permiilion  on  the  part  of  God  :  at,  if  God  barely  fuf- 
jered  it  to  be  lb,  quaji  iwvitus ,  as  it  were  by  conftraint, 
and  againft  his  will  :  for  he  permits  nothing,  which 
'be  did  not  refolve  and  determine  to  permit.  His  per- 
tmiffion  is  a  pofitive,  determinate  aH  of  his  will ;  as 
Auftin,  Luther,  and  Cticer,  j uftly  obferve.  Therefore, 
if  it  be  the  will  oJ  God,  in  time,  to  permit  fuch  and 
fuch  men  to  continue  in  their  natural  ftate  ot  ignorance 
and  corruption  ;  the  natural  confequenee  of  which  is, 
iheir  falling  into  fuch  and  fuch  fins  (obferve,  God  does 
hot  lorce  them  into  fin;  the  adlualdifobedience  beingon- 
ly  tb.econfequence  of  their  not  having  that  grace  which 
God  is  not.  obliged  to  grant  them)  I  fay,  if  it  be  the  will  of 
God  thus  to  leave  them  in  time  (and  we  mult  deny  de- 
monltration  icfelf,  even  known,  ablblute  matter  of  facl, 
if  we  deny  that  fome  are  fo  left)  then  it  mull  have  been 
the  divine  intention,  from  all  eternity,  fo  to  leave 
them  :  fince,  as  we  have  already  had  occafion  to  cb- 
fetve,  no  new  will  can  poffibly  arife  in  the  mind  of 
God.  We  fee,  that  evil  men  actually  are  buffered  to 
go  on  adding  fin  to  fin  :  and  if  it  be  not  inconhflent 
with  the  facred  attributes  actually  to  permit  this  ;  it 
cotdd  not  poffibly  be  inconfifient  with  them  to  decree 
that  permiilion,  before  the  foundations  ot  the  world 
w  ere  laid. 

Thus,  G.od  efficacioufly  permitted  (having  fo  de¬ 
creed)  the  Jews  Co  be,  in  effebt,  the  cruciriers  of  Chrili, 
and  Judas  to  betray  him  ;  Abts  iv.  27,  28.  Mat.  xxvi. 
3^,  24.  Hence  we  find  St,  Auftin  *  fpeaking  thus; 

‘  judas  wras  c'nofen,  but  it  was  to  do  a  melt  execrable 
4  deed  :  that  thereby  the  death  ot  Chrift,  and  the  ador- 
‘  able  work  of  redemption  by  him,  might  be  accom- 
*  plifhed.  When  therefore  we  hear  our  I.ord  fay,’ 

Have  not  I  chofen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a 
“  Devil  r”  ‘  we  mult  underhand  it  thus,  that  the  ele- 
‘  von  were  eholen  in  mercy  ;  but  Judas  in  judgment  : 

‘  they  were  chofen  to  partake  of  Ch rill’s  kingdom  ;  he 

‘  was 

*  De  Coir.  &  Grat.  cap.  7. 


[  79  1 

‘  was  chofen  and  pitched  upon  to  betray  him,  and  be 
‘  the  means  of  fhedding  his  blood.’ 

Fof.  5.  The  non-eledt  were  predeftinated,  not  only 
to  continue  in  final  iiiipenitency,  fin,  and  unbelief ; 
but  were,  likewife,  for  fuch  their  fins,  righteoufly  ap¬ 
pointed  to  infernal  death  hereafter. 

This  pofition  is  aifo  lelf-evident :  for  ’tis  certain, 
that,  in  the  day  of  uni  verbal  judgment,  all  the  human 
race  will  not  be  admitted  into  glory,  but  fome  of  them 
tranfinitted  to  the  place  of  torment.  Now,  God  does, 
and  will  do,  nothing,  but  in  confequence  of  his  own 
decree,  Pfaim  cxxxv.  6.  Ifai.  xlvi.  11.  Eph.  i.  9,  1 1. 
therefore,  the  condemnation  of  the  unrighteous  was 
decreed  of  God  ;  and,  if  decreed  by  him,  decreed  from 
everlafiing  :  for  all  his  decrees  are  eternal.  Befides, 
if  God  purpofed  to  leave  thofe  perfons  under  the  guilt 
and  the  power  of  fin,  their  condemnation  niufl  of  it- 
felf,  neceffarily  follow  :  Since,  without  jujlification  and 
fanciifieation  (neither  of  which  bleffings  are  in  the 
power  of  man)  none  can  enter  heaven,  John  xiii.8.  Heb. 
xii.  14.  Therefore,  if  God  determined,  within  him- 
beliy  thus  to  leave  fome  in  their  fins  (and  it  is  but  too 
evident  that  this  is  really  the  cafe;)  He  mufl:  alfo  have 
determined  within  himfelf  to  punifh  them  for  thofe 
fins  (final  guilt  and  final  punijbmcnt  being  corela¬ 
tives  which  neceffarily  infer  each  other ;)  but  God  did 
determine  both  to  leave  and  to  punifh  the  ncn-e!e£f : 
therefore,  there  was  a  reprobation  of  fome  from  eter¬ 
nity.  Thus,  Matth.  xxv.  “  Go,  ye  curbed,  into  ever- 
“  lading  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels;” 
for  Satan  and  all  his  meffengers,  emiffaries,’  and  imi¬ 
tators,  whether  apoflate  fpirics,  or  apoflate  men.'  Now, 
if  penal  fire  was,  in  decree,  from  evevlafiing  prepared 
for  them;  they  by  all  the  laws  of  argument  in  the  world, 
mull  have  been,  in  the  counfel  of  God,  prepared,  i.  c. 
defigned,  for  that  fire  :  which  is  the  point  I 'undertook 
to  prove.  IT  nee  we  read,  Rom.  ix.  “  of  veffels  of 
“  wrath  fitted  to  deftruclion,”  put  together,  made  up, 
formed,  or  fajhloned,  for  perdition  :  who  are,  and  can  be, 
no  other  then  the  reprobate.  To  multiply  Scriptures 
on  this  head,  would  he  aimed  endiefs  ;  for  a  fample, 

confuit 


[  So  ] 

Consult  Fror.  xvi.  4.  1  Pet.  ii.  8.  2  Pet.  ii.  12.  Jude 
4.  Rev.  xiii.  8. 

Fof  4.  As  the  future  faith  and  good  works,  of  the 
eled,  were  not  the  caufe  o t  their  being  chofen  ;  lo 
neither  were  the  future  fins  of  the  reprobate  the  caufe 
of  their  being  pa  it  by  :  but  both  the  choice  or  the 
fonner,  and  the  decretive  om'JJlon  of  the  latter,  were 
owing,  merely  and  entirely,  to  the  fovereign  will  and 
determinating  pleafure  of  God. 

We  dilfinguifh  between  prctcrition,  or  bare  non  elec¬ 
tion,  which  is  a  purely  negative  thing  ;  and  condemna¬ 
tion ,  or  appointment  to  punifi.ment :  the  will  of  God  was 
the  caufe  of  the  former;  the  lins  of  the  non-eled  are 
the  reafon  or  the  latte  .  Though  God  determined  to 
leave,  and  actually  does  leave,  whom  he  pleales,  in  the 
fpiritual  darknefs  and  d.ath  of  nature,  out  ot  which  he 
is  under  no  obligation  to  deliver  them  ;  yet  he  does 
not,  politively,  condemn  any  of  thefe,  merely  b-.caufe 
he  has  not  chofen  them,  but  becaufe  they  have  finned 
againfl  him  :  lee  Rom.  i.  21—24.  Rom.  ii.  8.  g. 
2  Thef.  ii.  12.  Their  pretention,  or  non-infeription  in 
the  book  of  life  is  not  unjuft,  on  the  part  or  God  ;  be¬ 
caufe,  out  of  a  world  of  rebels,  equally  involved  in 
guilt,  God,  (who  might,  without  any  impeachment  of 
his  juttice,  have  palled  by  all,  as  he  did  the  reprobate 
angels)  was,  moth  unqueftionably,  at  liberty,  if  it  fo 
pleafed  him,  to  extend  the  feeptre  of  his  clemency  to 
fome  ;  and  to  pitch  upon,  whom  he  would,  as  the  ob¬ 
jects  of  it.  Nor  was  this  exemption  of  fome,  any  in¬ 
jury  to  the.  non-eledt  whofe  cafe  would  have  been  juft  as 
bad  as  it  is,  even  fuppoiing  the  others  bad  not  been 
chofen  at  all.  Again  tec  condemnation  of  the  ungodly 
(for  it  is  under  that  character  alone,  that  they  are  the 
fubjedts  of  punifiunent,  and  were  ordained  to  it)  is  not 
unjulh,  feeing  it  is  for  fin,  and  only  for  fin.  None  are 
or  will  be  punifhed,  but  for  the’r  iniquities  ;  and  all 
iniquity  is  proper! v  meritorious  of  punift  ment:  v.  here, 
then  is  the  fu  pofi.-d  utr.nercifulnefs,  tj  canny,  or  in* 
jufiice,  ot  the  divine  procedure  ? 

Fo/.  5.  Goi  is  the  creator  of  the  wicked,  but  not 

of 


[  Si  ] 

of  their  wlckcdnrfs  :  lie  is  the  author  of  their  beings 
but  not  the  infuler  ot  their  fin. 

’Tis,  moft  certainly,  his  will,  (for  u  lorable  and  un- 
fearchable  reafons)  to  permit  fin ;  but,  with  all  pof- 
fible  reverence  be  it  fpoken,  it  Ihould  feem,  that  he 
cannot,  confidently  with  the  purity  of  his  nature,  the 
glory  of  his  attributes,  and  the  truth  of;  declarations,  be, 
himfelf,  the  author  of  it.  Sin,  fays  the  Apoftle,*  “  en- 
“  tered  into  the  world  by  one  man, ’’meaning,  by  Adam:' 
consequently,  it  was  not  introduced  by  the  Deity  him¬ 
felf;  Though,  without  the  permiilion  of  his  will,  and 
the  concurrence  ot  his  providence,  its  introduction 
had  been  inupoffible  ;  yet  is  he  not,  hereby,  the  au¬ 
thor  of  fin  fo  introduced'4'.  Luther  obferves,  De 
Serv.  Arb.  c.  42.)  ‘ ’Tis  a  great  degree  of  faith,  to 
‘  believe,  that  God  is  merciful  and  gracious,  though 

*  he  faves  fo-  lew,  and  condemns  fo  many  ;  and  that 

*  he  is  ft  rift  ly  juft,.,  though  in  confequenee  of  his  own 
‘  will,  he  made  us  not  exempt  from  liablenefs  to  con- 
4  damnation.’  And,  cap.  148.  ‘  Although  God  doth 
‘  not  make  fin,  neverthekfs  he  ceafes.  not  to  create  and 

*  multiply  individuals  in  the  human  nature,  which 

‘  through 

•e==— =====?•  - 

*  It  is  a  known  and  very  juft  maxim  of  the  fchocls. 
Effect  us  fequitur  cat: Jam  pr  ox  imam  :  ‘An  e  fie  ft  fol- 
4  lows  from,  and  is  to  be  aferibed  to,  the  l  ift,  imme- 
‘  diate  caufe  that  produced  it.’  Thus  for  inft'ance,  if  I 
hold  a  book,  or  a  ftone  in  my  hand,  my.  hold  ng  it  is 
the  immediate  cattje  of  its  not  tailing  but,  if  1  let  it 
go,  my  letting  it  go  is  not  the  immediate  caufe.  of  its 
falling  :  it  is  carried  downward  by  its  own  gravity, 
which  is,  therefore,  cau/a  prox-ima  efAus,  the  proper 
and  immediate  caufe  of  its  delcent.  ’Tis  true,  it  I  had 
kept  my  hoid  of.it,  it  would  not  have  fallen  ;  yet  frill, 
the  immediate,  direft  caufe  of  its  fall,  is,  its  own 
weight,  not  my  quitting  my  hold.  The  application  of 
this,  to  the  providence  of  God,  as  concerned  in  finful 
cvetv'sj  is  eafy.  Without  God,  there  could  have  been 
no  creation  ;  without  creation,  no  creatures  ;  without 
creatures,  no  fin.  Yet  is  not  fin  chargeable  on  God  : 
for  ejfttfus  fequitur  caufam  proximam. 


[  82  1 

‘  through  the  withholding  of  his  Spirit,  is  corrupted 
4  by  fin  :  juft  as  a  lkilful  artift  may  form  curious  flatties 
‘  Out  of  bad  materials.  So,  fuch  as  their  nature  it, 
‘inch  are  men  themfelves  ;  God  forms  them  out  of 
4  fuch  a  nature.’ 

Pof.  6.  The  condemnation  of  the  reprobate  is  necefTa- 
ry  and  inevitable. 

Which  we  prove  thus :  ’Tis  evident,  from  Scripture, 
that  the  reprobate  ''(hall  be  condemned.  But  nothing 
comes  to  pafs  (much  lefs  can  the  condemnation  of  a 
rational  creatur. )  but  in  confequence  of  the  will  and 
decree  of  God.  I  herefore,  the  non-eledf  could  not 
be  condemned,  was  it  not  the  divine  pleafure  and  detem 
ruination  that  they  fhould.  And,  if  God  wills  and  de¬ 
termines  their  condemnation,  that  condemnation  is 
neceflary  and  inevitable.  ■  By  their  fins,  they  have 
made  them  Pelves  guilty,  of  death  :  and,  as  it  is  not 
the  will  of  God  to  pardon  thofe  fins,  and  grant  them 
repentance  unto  life;  the  punifhment  of  fuch  impeni¬ 
tent  finners  is  as  unavoidable  as  it  is  jull.  ’Tis  our 
Lord’s  own  declaration,  Matth.  vii.  that  “  a  coriupt 
44  t:ee  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit  or,  in  other 
Words,  that  a  depraved  linn  r  cannot  produce  in  h'm- 
felf  thofe  gracious  habits,  nor  exert  thofe  gracious  adds, 
without  which  no  adult  perfon  can  be  fared.  Conie- 
quenrly,  the  reprobate  mull,  as  corrupt,  fruitlefs  trees 
(or  fruitful  in  evil  only,)  be  “  hewn  down,  and  call 
44  into  tho  fire,”  Matth.  iii.  This,  therefore,  ferves 
as  another  argument,  in  proof  of  the  inevitability  of 
their  future  punishment:  which  argument,  in  brief, 
amounts  to  this  ;  They,  who  are  not  Paved  from  fin, 
muff  unavoidably  perifh :  but  the  reprobate  are  not 
faved  from  fin  ;  (for  they  have  neither  will  nor  power 
to  lave  themfelves,  and  God  though  he  certainly  can, 
yet  he  certainly  will  not  fave  them  :)  Therefore,  their 
perdition  is  unavoidable.  Nor  does  it  follow,  from 
hence,  that  God  forces  the  reprobate  into  fin,  and 
thereby  into  mifery,  again!!  their  wills  ;  but  that,  in 
confequence  of  their  natural  depravity  (which  is  not 
the  divine  pleafure  to  deliver  them  out  of,  neither  is 
he  bound  t  do  it,  nor  are  they  themfelvcs  io  much  as 

defirous 


f  **  3 

defirous  that  he  would  (they  are  voluntarily  biafied  and 
inclined  to  evil  :  nay,  which  is  worfe  itill,  they  hug 
and  value  their  fpintuai  chains,  and  even  greedily  per¬ 
due  the  paths  of  lin,  which  lead  to  the  chambers  of 
death.  Thus,  God  does  not  (as  we  are  fianderoufly 
reported  to  affirm)  compel  the  wicked  to  lin,  as  the 
rider  fpurs  forward  an  unwilling  Tiorle  :  God  only  fays, 
in  effect,  that  tremendous  word,  “  Let  them  alone,” 
JMatth.  xv.  14.  He  need  but  llacken  the  reins  of 
.providential  reitraint,  and  withhold  the  influence  of 
faving  grace  ;  and  apoftate  man  will,  too  loon,  and  top 
furcly,  of  his  own  accord,  fall  by  his  iniquity  :  he  will 
prefently  be,  fpiritually  fpeaking,  a  felo  defa,  and  without 
.any  other  efficiency,  lay  violent  hands  on  his  own  foul. 
So  that  tho’  the  condemnation  of  the  reprobate  is  una¬ 
voidable  ;  yet  the  neceffity  of  it  is  fo  far  from  making 
them  mere  machines,  or  involuntary  agents,  that  it  does 
not,  in  the  leaf!,  interfere  with  the  rational  freedom  of 
their  wills,  nor  ferve  to  render  thepi  lefs  inexculable. 

Pof.  7.  The  punilhment  of  the  non -elect  was  not  the 
ultimate  end  of  their  creation  ;  but  the  glory  ol  God. 

’Tis  frequently  objected  to  us.,  that,  according  to  eur 
view  of  Predeftination,  ‘  God  makes  fome  perfons  on 
‘  purpofe  to  damn  them:’  But  this  we  never  advanced  ; 
nay,  we  utterly  rejeft  it,  as  equally  unworthy  ot  God 
to  do,  and  of  a  rational  being  to  fuppofe.  The  grand, 
principal  end  propofed  by  the  Deity  to  himfelf,  in  his 
formation  of  all  things,  and  of  mankind  in  particular  : 
was,  The  manifeffiation  and  difplay  ot  his  own  glorious 
■attributes.  His  ultimate  fcope,  in  the  creation  of  the 
jElebt,  is,  To  evidence  and  make  known  by  their  fal- 
vation,  the  unfearchable  riches  of  his  power  and  wif- 
dom,  mercy  and  love  ;  and  the  creation  of  the  Non- 
eieCt  is  tor  the  difplay  of  his  juftice,  power,  fovereign- 
ty,  holinefs  and  truth.  So  that  nothing  can  be  more 
certain,  than  the  declaration  of  the  text  we  have  fre- 
.q  1  ntly  had  occalion  to  cite,  Prov.  xvi.  “  The  Lord 
“  hath  made  .all  things  for  himfelf,  even  the  wicked 
“  for  the  day  of  evil.”  On  one  band,  the  “  veliels 
4‘  of  wrath  are  fitted  for  deilruftion,”  in  order  that 
God  may  “ffiew  his  wrath;  and  make  his  power  known,”  • 


[  3+  1 

and  man! felt  the  greatneis  of  his  patience  and  long  fuf- 
fering ,  Rom.  ix.  32.  On  theothe*  hand,  he  afore  pre¬ 
pared  the  elect  to  falvation,  that  on  them,  he  might 
demonftrate  “the  riches  ot  his  glory  and  mercy,”  verbs 
23.  As,  therefore,  God  himfelr  is  the  foie  author  and 
efficient  of  all  his  own  actions ;  io  is  he,  likevvift,  the 
ftp  rente  end,  to  wJaich  they  lead.,  and  in  which  they 
terminate. 

Befides,  the  creation  and  perdition  of  the  ungodly  an- 
fwer  another  purpofe  (though  a  fubordinate  one)  u  ith 
regard  to  the  elect  themlelves,  who,  from  the  1  ej  eft  ion 
of  thole  learn,  (1.)  To  admire  the  rich-s  of  the  divine 
love  toward  themlelves,  which  planned,  ar.o  has  ac- 
compiifhed,  the  work  or  their  falvation  :  while  others 
by  nature  on  an  equal  level  with  them,  are  excluded 
from  a  participation  of  the  fame  benefits.  And  fuch 
a  view  or  the  Lord’s  diftinguifhing  mercy  is,  (2.)  A 
moll  powerful  motive  to  thankfulnefs,  that,  when  they 
too  might  jnltly  have  been  condemned  with  the  world 
of  the  non-elect,  they  were  marked  out  as  heirs  of  the 
grace  of  life.  (3.)  Hereby  they  are  taught,  ardently 
to  love  their  heaven!)  Father  ;  (4.)  To  trull  in  him  af- 
furedly,  for  a  continued  iupply  ot  grace  while  they  are 
on  earth,  and  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  eternal 
decree  and  pn  mife,  by  their  glorification  in  heaven  ; 
and,  (5.)  To  live,  as  becomes  thofe,  who  have  received 
fuch  unfpeakable  mercies  from  the  hand  of  their  God 
and  Saviour.  So  Buces  femevvhere  obferves,  That 
the  punilhment  ot  the  reprobate  ‘  is  ufetul  to  the  eled't ; 
‘  inafmuch  as  it  influences  them  to  a  greater  tear  and 
‘  abhorence  ot  tin,  and  to  a  firmer  Reliance  on  the  goed- 
‘  nefs  of  God.’ 

Pa/.  8.  Notwithftand.ng  God  did  from  all  eternity, 
irreverlibly  chufe  out  and  fix  upon  fome  to  be  par¬ 
takers  ofi'alv  lion  by  Chrift,  and  rejected  the  reft  (who 
are  thereloie  termed  by  the  Apoftle,  the  refufe ,  or  thofe 
that  remained  and  were  left  out)  acting,  in  both,  ac tend¬ 
ing  to  the  good  pleafure  ot  his  oh n  fovercign  will  :  j  et, 
he  did  not,  herein,  adt  an  unjuft,  tyrannical,  or  cruel 
part ;  nor  yet  thew  himlelf  a  refpcPlrr  oj  perfons. 

1.  He  is  not  ui\uft,  in  reprobating  tome  ;  neither 

can 


[  s5  V 

can  he  be  fo;  for  “  the  Lord  is  holy  in  all  his  ways, 
“  and  righteous  in  all  his  works,”  Pfalm  cxlv.  But  fal- 
vation  and  damnation  are  works  of  his :  confequently, 
neither  of  them  is  unrighteous  or  unholy.  ’Tis  un¬ 
doubted  muter  of  faff,  that  the  Father  draws  fome 
men  to  Chrift,  and  faves  them  in  him  with  an 
everlafting  falvation  ;  and  that  he  neither  draws  nor 
faves  l'ome  others :  and,  if  it  be  not  unjuft  in  God,  ac¬ 
tually  to  forbear  faving  thefe  perfons  after  they  are 
born  ;  it  could  not  be  unjuft  in  him  to  determine  as 
much,  before  they  were  born.  What  is  not  unjuft  for 
God  to  do  in  time;  could  not,  by  parity  of  argument, 
be  unjuft  in  him  to  refolve  upon  and  decree  from  eter¬ 
nity.  And,  furdy,  if  the  Apoftie’s  illuftration  be  al¬ 
lowed  to  have  any  propriety,  or  to  carry  any  authority, 
it  can  no  more  be  unjuft  in  God  to  fet  apart  fome,  for 
communion  with  him/elfin  this  life  and  the  next,  and 
to  fet  afide  others,  according  to  his  own  free  pleafure  ; 
than  for  a  potter,  to  make,  out  of  the  fame  inafs  of 
clay,  fome  veflels  for  honourable,  and  others  for  inferi¬ 
or  ufes.  The  Deity,  being  abfolute  Lord  of  all  his 
creatures,  is  accountable  to  none  for  his  doings;  and  can¬ 
not  be  chargeable  with  injuftice,  for  difpofing  of  his 
own  as  he  will. 

Nor,  2.  Is  the  decree  of  reprobation  a  tyrannical 
one.  ’Tis,  indeed,  ftridtly  fovereign  ;  but  lawful  fo- 
vereignty  and  lawlefs  tyranny  are  as  really  diftinft,  and 
different,  as  any  two  oppolites  can  be.  He  is  a  tyrant, 
in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  word,  who,  (i.)  Ei¬ 
ther  ufurps  the  foverign  authority,  and  arrogates  to 
himfelf  a  dominion  to  which  he  has  no  right:  or,  (2.) 
Who,  being,  originally,  a  lawful  Prince,  abufes  his 
power,  and  governs  contrary  to  law.  But  who  dares  to 
lay  either  of  thefe  accufations  to  the  Divine  charge  ? 
God,  as  Creator,  has  a  moft  unqueftionable  and  unli¬ 
mited  right  over  the  fouls  and  bodies  of  men ;  unlefs  it 
can  be  fuppofed,  contrary  to  all  fcripture  and  common 
fenfe,  that,  in  making  of  man,  he  made  a  fet  of  beings 
fuperior  to  himfelf,  and  exempt  from  his  j  11  ril'd  iff  ior. 
Taking  it  for  granted,  therefore,  that  God  has  an  ab¬ 
solute  right  of  fovereignty  over  his  creatures ;  if  he 
fi  ft.ouli 


[  86  ] 


fhonld'bc  pleafed  (as  the  fcriptures  repeatedly  afliire 
us  that  he  is)  to  manifeit  and  difplay  that  right,  by 
gCacioufly  having  home,  and  juftly  puniihing  others  lor 
their  fins--- Who  are  we  that  we  li.ould  reply  againlt 
God  ? 

Neither  does  the  ever  blefied  Deity  fall  under  the 
fscond  notion  ot  a  tyrant ;  namely,  as  one  who  abufes 
his  jiower,  by  acting  contrary  to  law  :  tor,  by  what 
exteiior  law  is  He  bound,  who  is  the  fupremc  lawgiver 
of  the  univerfe  ?  The  laws,  promulgated  by  him,  are 
designed  tor  the  rule  of  our  conduct,  not  of  His.  Should 
it  be  objected,  that  ‘  his  own  attributes  of  goodnefs 
‘  and  juitiee,  holinefs  and  truth,  are  a  law  to  himfeli 
1  anfwer,  that,  admitting  this  to  be  the  cafe,  there  is 
nothing,  in  the  decree  ot  reprobation,  as  reprefented  in 
leripture,  and  by  us  from  thence,  which  clafhes  with 
any  of  thofe  perfections.  With  regard  to  the  Divine 
goodnefs,  tho!  the  non -cleft  are  not  objects  of  it,  in  the 
aenle  the  elect  are ;  yet,  even  they  are  not  w'holly  ex¬ 
cluded  from  a  participation  of  it.  They  enjoy  the 
good  things  ot  providence,  in  common  with  God’s 
children,  and,  very  often,  in  a  much  higher  degree. 
Eefides,  goodnefs,  conlidcicd  as  it  is  in  God,  would 
have  been  juft  the  fame  infinite  and  glorious  attribute, 
fuppoling  no  rational  beings  had  been  created  at  all, 
or  faved  when  created.  To  which  may  be  added,  that 
the  goodnefs  ot  the  Deity  does  not  ceale  to  be  infinite 
in  itlelf,  only  btcaufe  it  is  more  extended  to  feme  ob¬ 
jects  than  it  is  to  others  :  The  infinity  ot  this  perfec¬ 
tion,  as  refiding  in  God  and  coinciding  with  his  ellence, 
is  fufticiently  fee ured,  without  fuppoling  it  to  reach,  in- 
tlifcriminately,  to  all  the  creatures  he  has  made.  For, 
was  this  way  ot  reafcning  to  be  admitted,  it  would  lead 
us  too  tar,  and  prove  too  much  :  fince,  it  the  infinity 
of  his  goodnefs  is  to  he  eftimated,  by  the  number  of 
objects,  upon  which  it  terminates  ;  there  mult  be  an 
abfolute,  proper  infinity  of  reafonable  beings,  to  ter¬ 
minate  that  goodnefs  upon  :  confequently,  it  would  fol¬ 
low,  from  fuch  premifes,  either,  That  the  creation  is 
as  truly  infinite,  as  the  Creator  ;  or,  if  otherwife,  That 
the  Greater's  goodnefs  could  not  be  infinite,  becaufe 


[  S7  ] 

it  has  not  an  infinity  of  objedts  to  make  happy  *.  Z.afllyi 
it  it  was  not  incompatible  with  God’s  infinite  goodnefs, 
to  pafs  by  the  whole  body  of  fallen  angels,  and  leave 
them  under  the  guilt  of  their  apofiacy  ;  much  lei's  can 
k  clalh  with  that  attribute,  to  pafs  by  lonie  of  fallen 
H  2  mankind, 

*  The  late  moft  learned  and  judicious  Mr.  Charnock 
has,  in  my  judgment  at  leaff,  proved,  molt  clearly  and 
fatisfactorily,  that  the  exelufiorr  ot  fo  me  individual 
perfons,  from  a  participation  of  laving,  grace,-  is  perfect¬ 
ly  confident  with  God’s  unlimited  goodnefs.  He 
obferves,  th  .t  the  goodnefs  of  the  Deity  i;a  ‘  Infinite, 
4  and  circuftafcribed  by  no  limits.  The  exereife  of  his 
4  goodnefs  may  be  limited  by  himfelf;  but  his  good- 
4  nels,  the  principle,  cannot  :  for,  fince  hrs  efi'ence  is 

*  infinite,  and  his  goodnefs  is  not  diitinguilhed  from 
4  his  efi’ence  :  It  is  infinite  alfo.  God  is  necellhrily 
4  good,  in  his  nature  ;  but  free  in  his  communications 
4  of  it.  He  is  neceffarily  good,  affeSlivc,  In  regard  cF 
4  his  nature  ;  but  freely  good,  ejfettive,  in  regard  of 
4  the  effluxes  of  it  to  this  cr  that  particular  fubjcdl  he 
4  pitcheth  upon.  He  is  not  necefiarily  communicative 
4  of  his  goodnefs,  as  the  fun  of  its  light,  or  a  tree  of 
4  its  cooling  lhade,  which  choofes  not  its  objeffs,  but 
4  enlightens  all  indifferently,  without  variation  or  di- 
4  flindtion  :  this  were  to  make  God  of  no  more  under- 

*  flanding  than  the  fun,  which  firines  not  where  it 
4  pleafes,  but  where  it  mull.  He  is  an  underifanding 
4  agent,  and  hath  a  fovereign  right  to  ehoofe  his  own 
4  fubjedts.  It  would  not  be  a  fu-preme,  if  it  were  not  a 
4  voluntary  goodnefs.  ’Tis.  agreeable  to  the  nature  of 
4  the  Highelt  God,  to  be  ablblutely  free  ;  and  to  dif- 
4  penl'e  his  goodnefs  in  what  methods  and  meafures  he 
4  pleales,  according  to  the  free  determinations  of  bis 
4  own  will,  -guided  by  the  tvifdom  of  his  mind,  and  re- 
4  gulated  by  the  holincfs  of  his  nature.  He  will  be 
4  good  to  whom  he  will  be  good.  When  he  doth  adr, 

4  he  cannot  but  adt  well  :  So  far  ’tis  necefiary  ;  yet  he 
4  may  adt  this  good  or  that  good,  to  this  or  that  degree: 

4  So  it  is  free  :  As  ’tis  the  perfection  of  his  nature, 

’tis 


[  88  ] 

jnankind,  and  refolve  to  leave  them  In  their  fin?,  and 
punifh  them  tor  them.  Nor  is  it  inconfifient  with  the 
Divine  juflice,  to  withhold  faving  grace  from  feme  ; 
feeing  the  grace  of  God  is  not  vv’nat  he  owes  to  any. 
’Tis  a  free  gift,  to  thole  that  have  it  ;  and  is  not  due  to 
thole  that  are  without  it  :  confequently,  there  can  be 
no  injuftice,  in  not  giving  what  God  is  not  bound  to 
befiow. 

There  is  no  end  of  cavilling  at  the  Divine  difpenfa- 
tions,  if  men  are  difpofed  to  do  it.  We  might,  with 
equality  of  reafon,  when  our  hand  is  in,  prel'ume  to 
charge  the  Deity  with  partiality,  for  not  making  all  his 
creatures  angels,  becaufe  it  was  in  his  power  to  do  fo; 
its  charge  him  with  injufiice,  for  not  electing  all  man¬ 
kind.  Befides,  how  can  it  poilibly  be  fubverfive  of  his 
juftice,  to  condemn,  and  refolve  to  condemn,  the  non- 
cledl  for  their  fins  ;  when  thofe  very  fins  were  not 
atoned  for  by  Chrifi,  as  the  fins  of  the  eletft  were  ? 

His 

•C=======&- 

*  ’tis  recefiary  :  As  ’tis  the  communication  of  his 
“  bounty,  ’tis  voluntary.  The  eye  cannot  but  fee,  if 

*  it  be  open  ;  yet  ;t  may  glance  on  this  or  that  colour, 

*  fix  upon  this  or  that  objedf,  as  it  is  conducted  by  the 
4  will.  What  neceffity  could  there  be  on  God,  to  re- 

*  folve  to  communicate  his  goodnefs  [at  all]  ?  It  could 
4  not  be  to  make  himfelf  better  by  it  ;  for  he  had  [be- 
4  fore]  a  goodnefs  incapable  of  any  addition.  What 
4  obligation  could  there  be  from  the  creature  ?  What- 
4  ever  iparks  of  goodnefs  any  creature  hath,  are  the 
4  free  effufions  of  God’s  bounty,  the  offspring  of  his 
‘  own  inclination  to  do  well,  the  fimple  favour  of  the 
4  donor.  God  is  as  unconftrained  in  his  liberty,  in  all 
4  his  communications,  as  [he  is]  infinite  in  his  good- 
4  nefis,  the  fountain  of  them.’  Charnock’s  works,  vol. 
i.  p.  583,  Sec.  With  whom  agrees  the  excellent  Dr. 
Bates,  (lit  named  for  his  eloquence,  the  f-foer  tongicd)  ; 
and  who,  if  he  had  a  filver  tongue,  had  likev/ife  a  gol¬ 
den  pen  :  4  God,’  fays  he,  4  is  a  wife  and  free  agent  ; 

4  and,  as  he  is  infinite  in  goodnefs,  fo  the  exercife  of  it 
4  is  voluntary,  and  only  fo  fa?  as  he  pleafes.’  Harm. 
efDiv.  Attrib.  chap.  3. 


[  s9  ] 

His  jufticc,  in  t!\!s  cafe,  is  fo  far  from  hindering  the 
condemnation  of  the  reprobate,  that  it  renders  it  necef- 
fary  and  indilpenfible.  Again,  is  the  decree  of  love- 
reign  preterition,  and  of  juft  condemnation  for  fin,  re¬ 
pugnant  to  the  divine  holiiiefs  ?  notin  the  leaft  :  fo 
far  from  it,  that  'it  does  not  appear  how  the  Deity 
could  be  holy,  if  he  did  not  hate  fin,  and  punifh  it. 
Neither  is  it  contrary  to  his  truth  and  veracity.  Quite 
the  reverie.  For,  would  not  the  Divine  veracity  fall 
to  the  ground,  if  the  finally  wicked  were  not  condemn¬ 
ed  ? 

3,  God,  in  the  reprobati  -:i  of  fome,  does  not  a 
cruel  part.  Whoever  accufed  a  chief  magiftrate,  of 
cruelty,  for  not  fparing  a  company  of  attrocious  ma- 
lefaftors,  and  for  letting  the  fentence  et  the  law  take 
place  upon  them  by  their  execution  ?  It,  indeed,  the 
magiftrate  pleafe  to  pity  fome  of  them,  and  remit  their 
penalty  ;  we  applaud  his  clemency  ;  but  the  punilh- 
nient  of  the  reft  is  no  impeachment  of  his  mercy. 
Now,  with  regard  to  God,  his  mercy  is  free  and  volun¬ 
tary.  He  may  ext  nd  it  to,  and  withhold  it  from, 
whom  he  pleafes,  Rom.  ix.  13,  18.  and  ’tis  lad  indeed, 
if  we  will  not  allow  the  Sovereign,  the  all-wife  Gover¬ 
nor  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  fame  privilege  and  libertv, 
vve  allow  to  a  fuprefne  magiftrate  below. 

Nor,  4.  Is  God,  in  eluding  fome  and  rejecting  others, - 
a  refpeffer  of  perfons.  He  only  comes  under  that  title, 
who,  on  account  of  parentage,  country,  dignity,  wealth, 
or  for  any  other  *  external  coillidcration,  Ihews  more 
H  3  favour 

•<f===s==S>-' 

*  Persg'nae  Acceptio,  quu.ra  rnagis  hulc  fave« 
Jriut,  quant  illi ,  ob  circumftantiam  aliqitam ,  ceu  quoliiatem, 
externam ,  el  adhaerentem  ;  puta  genus,  dignitatem ,  opesf 
patriam ,  fe -c.  Scapula,  in  voc. 

So  that  elegant,  accurate  and  learned  Dutch  Divine, 
Laurentius  :  Haec  nfero  eft,  qudndo perform perftmae  t>rae- 
fertur  ex  cdufa  in  debit  a  :  pitta,  ft  judex  dbfolva?  rain:, 
vel  quid  dives  eft ,  Del  quia  potent,  <tr'el  qui  magfttditut  eft , 
vel  quia  amictis  Of  ptopinquu's  eft ,  &c.  6  That  k  tefpeft 

*  efperftoftSj  whea  one  man  is  preferred  fo  another,  oti 

*  fome' 


[  9®  1 

favour  to  one  perfon,  than  to  another.  But  that  is  not 
the  cafe  with  God.  He  confiders  all  men  as  tinners  bv 
nature,  and  has  eompaffion  not  on  perfons  of  this  or 
tnat  fed,  country,  fex,  age,  or  flation  in  lire,  becaufe 
they  are  fo  circumftanced,  but  on  whom,  and  becaufe, 
he  will  have  eompaffion.  Pertinent  to  the  prelent  purr 

pofe, 

•g  ..-:==3- 

*  fome  finifler  and  undue  account :  as  when  a  judge  ac- 

*  quits  a  criminal,  merely  becaufe  he  is  rich,  or  povver- 

*  tul,  or  is  his  friend,  or  relation,’  &c. 

Comment,  in  Epifh  Jacob,  p.  92. 

Now,  in  the  matter  of  eledion  and  preterition,  God 
is  influenced  by  no  Inch  motives  :  nor,  indeed,  by  any 
exterior  inducement,  or  any  motive,  extra  fe ,  out  of 
himfelr.  He  does  not,  for  inflame,  condemn  any 
perfons,  on  account  of  their  poverty  :  bur,  on  the  re¬ 
verie,  hath  chofen  many,  who  are  poor  in  this  world, 
Jam.  ii.  5.  Nor  does  he  condemn  any,  for  being  rich  : 
for  fome,  even  of  the  mighty  and  noble,  are  called  by 
his  grace,  1  Cor.  i.  26.  He  does  notrefped  any  man’s 
parentage  or  country  ;  for  the  eled  will  be  “gathered 
“  together  from  the  four  winds,  from  under  one  end 
“  of  heaven  to  the  other,”  Matth.  xxiv.  jr?  and  he 
hath  redeemed  to  himfelf  a  feled  number,  “  out  of 
“  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation,” 
Rev.  v.  9.  and  vii.  9.  So  far  is  God  from  being,  in  any 
fenfe,  a  refpefter  of  perfons,  that,  in  Chi  ill  Jelus,  there  is 
“  neither  few  nor  Greek,  bond  nor  free,  male  nor  fe- 
“  male,”  Gal.  iii.  28.  He  does  not  receive  one,  nor  re- 
led  another,  merely  for  coming,  or  not  coming,  .under 
any  of  thefe  charaders.  His  own  fovereign  will,  and 
not  their  external  or  internal  circumflances,  was  the 
foie  rule,  by  which  he  proceeded,  in  appointing  fome 
to  falvation,  and  decreeing  to  leave  others  in  their  lins  : 
So  that  God  is  not,  herein,  a  refpeder  of  their  perfons, 
but  a  refpeder  of  himfelf,  and  his  own  glory. 

And  as  God  is  no  refpeder  of  perfons,  becaufe  he 
<  lutfes  feme  as  objeds  of  his  favour,  and  omits  others; 

:  11  being  on  a  perfed  equality  ;  fo  neither  dees  it  fol¬ 
low,  that  he  is  fuch,  from  his  adualiv  conferring  fpi- 
,  ritual 


[  91  1 

pofe,  is  that  palTage  of  St.  Auftin*:  4  Forafmuch  as 
‘  fome  people  imagine,  that  they  mult  look  on  God  as 
‘  a  refpcflcr  of  perfons ,  if  they  believe,  that,  without 
‘  any  refpedt  hud  to  the  previous  merits  of  men  he 
‘  hath  mercy,  on  whom  he  will,  and  calls  whom  it 
4  is  his  pleai'ure  to  call,  and  makes  good  whom  he 
‘  pleafes :  The  fcrupuloufnefs  of  fuch  people  arifes 

‘  from 

•g  -  . !  ■" 

ritual  and  eternal  blelTings  on  the  former,  and  denying 
them  to  the  latter  :  Seeing,  thefe  Meltings  are  abfolutely 
his  own,  and  which  he  may,  therefore,  without  in- 
juftiee,  give,  or  not  give,  at  his  pleafure.  Dr.  Whitby 
himfelt,  though  io  ftrenuous  an  adverlary  to  every  thing 
that  looks  like  predeftination,  yet  very  juftly  obferve* 
(and  fuch  a  conceiiion  from  fuch  a  pen,  merits  the 
reader’s  attention)  Locum  non  habet  in  bonis  mere  liberis 
tS)  grutuitis ,  neque  in  iis ,  in  quibus ,  untun  altercjsraeferre , 
nojiri  arbitrii  aut  privileg'd  eft.  Ethic.  Compend.  1.  2.  c. 

feff.  9.  i.  e.  ‘  The  bellowing’  [and,  confequently, 
the  withholding]  4  of  fuch,  benefits  as  are  merely 
‘  gratuitous  and  undeferved,  does  not  argue  refpecl  of 
‘  perfons  ;  neither  is  it  refpeft  of  perfons,  to  prefer 
*  one  before  another,  when  we  have  a  right,  and  it  is 
‘  our  pleafure  fo  to  do.’  I  fhall  only  add  the  telfi- 
mony  of  Thomas  Aquinas ;  ar  man  of  fome  genius, 
and  much  application  :  who,  though,  in  very  many 
things,  a  laborious  trifier ;  was  yet  on  fome  fubjefls  a 
clear  reafoner,  and  judicious  writer.  His  words  are, 

‘  Duplex  eftdatio;  una  quidem  pertinens  adjufiitiam; 

‘  qua,  lcilicet,  aliquis  dat  alicui  quod  ei  debetur:  & 
‘  circa  tales  dationes  attenditur  perfonarum  acceptio. 
‘  Alia  elf  datio  at  liberalitatem  pertinens;  qua,  fcilicet, 
‘  gratis  datur  alicui  quod  ei  non  debetur.  Et  talis  ell 
‘  Collatio  munerum  gratiae,  per  quae  peccatores  alfu- 
4  muntur  a  Deo.  Et,  in  hac  donation?,  non  habet  lo- 
4  cum  perfonarum  acceptio,  quia  qudibet,  abl'que  in- 
4  juftitia,  potelf  de  fuo  dare  quantum  vu.lt,  5 c  cui  vult  1 
4  fecundum  illud,  Matth.  xx.  Annon  licet  mibi ,  quod 
4  volo^  facere?  tolle  quodtuum  eft,  &  vatic?  i.  e.  4  There 

4  is 

*  Tom.  2.  Epiif.  1 05.  ad  Sixtum  Prelb. 


E  92  1 

1  from  their  not  duly  attending  to  this  one  thing, 

‘  namely,  that  damnation  is  rendered  to  the  wicked,  as’ 
*  a  m  tter  of  debt,  juftice,  and  dcfcrt  ;  whereas,  the 
4  the  grace,  given  to  thole  who  are  delivered,  is  free, 

‘  and  unmerited:  fo  that  the  condemned  iinner  cannot 
‘  alledge  that  he  is  unworthy  of  his  punifhment ;  nor 
‘  the  faint  vaunt  or  boaft,  as  it  he  was  worthy  of  his 
‘  reward.  Thus,  in  the  whole  cou-rfe  of  this  proce- 
4  dure,  there  is  no  refpeef  of  perfons.  They  who  are 
‘  condemned,  and  they  who  are  fet  at  libei  ty,  confti- 
‘  tuted,  originally,  one  and  , the  fame  lump,  equally 
‘  infedted  with  tin,  and  liable  to  vengeance.  Hence, 

‘  the 

•G-  ~  —  dm 

4  is  a  twofold  rendering,  or  giving :  the  one  a  matter 
‘  of  juftice,  whereby  that  is  paid  to  a  man,  which  was 
4  due  to  him.  Here,  it  is  poffible  for  us  to  adt  partial- 
‘  lv,  and  with  refpedf  of  perfons.’  [Thus  for  exam¬ 
ple’s  fake,  if  I  owe  money  to  two  men,  one  of 
whom  is  rich,  the  other  poor  ;  and  I  pay  the  rich  man, 
becaufe  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  fue  me,  but  defraud 
the  other,  becaufe  of  his  inability  to  do  kimfelf  juftice; 
I  fhould  be  a  refpe&er  of  perfons.  But,  as  Aquinas 
goes  on]  4  There  is  a  fecond  kind  of  rendering,  or 
‘  giving ;  which  is  a  branch  of  mere  bounty  and  libe- 
4  rality  :  by  which  that  is  freely  bellowed  on  any  man' 
4  which  was  not  due  to  him  :  Such  are  the  gifts  of  grace, 
4  whereby  finners  are  received  of  God.  In  the  be- 
4  ftowment  of  grace,  refpehl  of  perfons  is  abfolutely 
4  out  of  the  queftion  :  becaufe  every  one  may,  and  can, 
4  without  the  Ieaft  fhadow  of  injuftice,  give  as  much  of 
4  his  own  as  he  will,  and  to  whom  he  will  :  according 
4  to  that  paflage  in  Matth.  xx.  44  is  it  not  lawful  for 
“  me  to  do  what  1  will  [with  rny  own?]  take  up  that 
44  which  is  thine,  and  go  thy  way.”  Aquin.  Summ, 
Theol.  2-— adae  Qu.  6:.-  A.  i. 

On  the  whole,  ’tis  evident,  that  refpeft  of  perfons 
can  only  have  place  in  matters  of  juftice,  and  is  but  an¬ 
other  name  for  perverfion  of  juftice  :  confequently,  ir 
has  nothing  to  do  with  matters  of  mere  goodners 
and  bounty,  as  all  the  bk flings  of  grace  and  falvatioR 
are, 


E  93  1 

4  the  jbfiified  may  learn,  from  the  condemnation  of 
4  the  red,  what  would  have  been  their  own  punilh- 
‘  ment,  had  not  God’s  free  grace  ftep’d  in  to  their 
‘  refcue.’ 

Before  I  conclude  this  head,  I’ll  obviate  a  fallacious 
objection  very  common  in  the  mouths  of  our  opponents : 

4  How,’  fay  tSfey,  *  is  the  doctrine  of  reprobation  re- 
‘  concileable  with  the  doCtnns  of  a  future  judgment  ?’ 
To  which  I  anfwer,  that  there  need  no  pains  to  recon¬ 
cile  thefe  two,  fince  they  are  fo  far  from  interfering  with 
each  other,  that  one  follows  from  the  other,  and  the 
former  renders  the  latter  abfoluteiy  neceffary.  Before 
the  judgment  of  the  great  day,  Chrift  does  not  fo 
much  act  as  the  judge  of  his  creatures,  but  as  their 
abfolute  Lord  and  Sovereign.  From  the  fir  ft  creation, 
to  the  final  confummation,  of  all  things  ;  he  does,  in 
confequence  of  his  own  eternal  and  immutable  pur- 
pofe  (as  a  Divine  perfon)  graeioufly  work  in  and  on 
his  own  elect,  and  permiffively  harden  the  reprobate. 
But,  when  all  the  tranfactions  of  providence  and  grace 
are  wound  up  in  the  laid  day  ;  he  will  then  properly 
fit  as  Judge,  and  openly  publilh,  and  folemnly  ratify, 
if  I  may  fo  fay,  his  ever  lading  decrees,  by  receiving 
the  eleCt,  body  and  foul,  into  glory,  and  by  parting 
fentence  on  the  non-eleCt  (not  for  their  having  done 
what  they  could  not  help,  but)  for  their  wilful  igno¬ 
rance  of  divine  things,  and  their  obftinate  unbelief; 
for  their  omiifions  of  moral  duty,  and  for  their  repeat¬ 
ed  iniquities  and  tranfgreilions. 

Pof.  g.  Notwithftanding  God’s  predeftination  is 
moft  certain  and  unalterable,  fo  that  no  eleCt  perfon 
can  perilli  nor  any  reprobate  be  faved  ;  yet  it  does  not 
follow  from  thence,  that  all  precepts,  reproofs,  and 
exhortations,  on  the  part  ct  God,  or  prayers  on  the 
part  of  man,  are  ufelefs,  vain,  and  infignlftcant. 

(i.)  Thefe  are  not  ufelefs,  with  regard  to  the  eleCt ; 
for  they  are  necefiaiy  means,  of  bringing  them  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  atfirlf ;  afterwards  of  furring  up 
their  pure  minds  by  way  of  remembrance,  and  of 
edifying  and  eftablilhiug  them  in  faith,  love,  and  hol:- 

nefu 


[  94  1 

nefs.  Hence  that  of  St.  Auftin*:  ‘  The  command*" 
‘  ment  will  tell  thee,  O  man,  what  thou  oughted  to 
‘  have  ;  reproof  will  fl'.ew  thee  wherein  thou  art  want- 
‘  ing ;  and  praying  will  teach  thee  from  whom  thcai 
‘  mutt  receive  the  fupplies  which  thou  wanted.’ 
Nor,  (a.)  Are  thefe  vain  with  regard  to  the  reprobate  : 
for,  precept,  reproof,  and  exhortatioiflj  may,  if  duly 
attended  to,,  be  a  means  of  making  them  careful  to  ad- 
juft  their  moral,  external  conduct,  according  to  the 
rules  ot  decency,  jultice,  and  regularity  ;  and,  there¬ 
by,  prevent  much  inconvenience  to  themfelves,  and 
injury  to  fociety.  And,  and  as  for  prayer,  it  is  the 
duty  of  all,  without  exception.  Every  created  being 
(whether  eletd  or  reprobate  matters  not,  as  to  this 
point)  is,  as  filch,  dependent  on  the  Creator  for  all 
things  :  and,  il  dependent,  ought  to  have  recourfe 
to  him,  both  in  a  way  of  Application  and  thankfgiv- 
ing. 

But,  to  come  clofer  dill.  That  abfolute  j  rededi- 
nation  does  not  let  afide,  nor  render  fuperffuous,  the 
ufe  of  preaching,  exhortation,  3tc.  we  prove  from 
the  examples  ofCbrifl  bhnjelf  and  bis  Apofles  :  w  ho,  all, 
taught  and  infided  upon  the  article  or  prededinarion  ; 
and  yet  took  every  opportunity  ot  preaching  to  finners, 
and  enforced  their  minidry  with  proper  rebukes,  in¬ 
vitations,  and  exhortations,  as  occafion  required. 
Though  they  fhewed,  unanfwerably,  that  falvation  is 
the  free  gift  of  God,  and  lies  entirely  at  his  fovereign 
difpofal,  that  men  can,  of  themfelves,  do  nothing 
fpiritually  good  ;  and  that  it  is  God,  who,  ot  his 
own  pleafuie,  works  in  them  both  to  will  and  to  da  : 
yet  they  did  not  ne elect  to  addrefs  their  auditors,  as 
beings  podefied  ot  reafon  and  confidence,  nor  omitted 
to  remind  them  ot  their  duties  as  fuc’n  ;  but  d  owed 
them  their  fin  and  danger  by  nature,  and  laid  before 
them  the  appointed  way  and  method  of  falvation,  as 
exhibited  in  the  gofpej.  Our  Saviour  himfelf,  ex- 
prefsly,  and  in  terminis ,  afiures  us,  that  “  no  man 
“  can  come  to  him,  except  the  Father  draw  him:” 
and  vet  he  fays,  “  Come  unto  me,  all  ve  that  la- 

“  boor,” 


*  De  Corrept.  &  Grat.  cap.  3, 


[  95  1 

{l  bour,”  See.  St.  Peter,  in  the  2d  of  Afts,  told  the 
Jews,  that  they  had  fulfilled  the  determinate  counfcl  and 
foreknowledge  of  God, ,  in  putting  the  Me  hah  to  death  ; 
and  yet  lharply  rebukes  them  for  it,  St.  Paul  declares, 
“  ft  is  not  of  him  that  wflleth,  nor  of  him  that  run- 
“  neth  and  yet  exhorts  the  Corinthians  fo  to  run, 
at  to  obtain  the  prize.  He  allures,  us.  Rom.  viii.  that 
“  we  know  not  what  to  pray  for,  as  we  ought;”  and 
yet,  1  ThefT.  v.  direfts  us  to  “  pray  without  ceafing.” 
He  avers,  1  Tim.  ii.  that  the  “  foundation,”  or  decree, 
“  of  the  Lord  lfandeth  fure;”  and  yet  cautions  him, 
who  “  thinks  he  hands,  to  tike  heed,  left  he  fall.” 
St.  James  in  like  manner,  fays,  that  “that  every  good 
“  and  perfeft:  gift  cometh  down  from  above and  ex¬ 
horts  thofe,  who  want  wifdom  to  ajk  it  of  God.  So, 
then,  all  thefe  being  means,  whereby  the  eleH  are 
frequently  enlightened  into  the  knowledge  of  Chriii, 
and  by  which  they  are,  after  they  have  believed 
through  grace,  built  up  in  him;  and  are  means  of 
their  perfeverance  in  grace  to  the  end  ;  thefe  are  fo 
far  from  being  vain  and  inlignilicant,  that  they  are 
highly  ufeful  and  necellarv,  and  anfwer  many  valuable 
and  important  ends :  without  in  the  leatl  lhaking  the 
doctrine  of  predefifnation  in  particular,  or  the  analogy 
of  faith  in  general.  JThus  St.  Auilin*  :  ‘  We  mult 

‘  preach,  we  muff  reprove,  we  mull;  pray  ;  becaufe 
‘  they,  to  whom  grace  is  given,  will  hear,  and  aft 
‘  accordingly  :  though  they,  to  whom  grace  is  not 
‘  given,  will  do  neither.’ 


*  De  Bon.  Perfev.  cap.  14. 


CHAP. 


£  96  ] 


CHAP.  V. 

Shewing^  that  the  Scriptitre-dofirine  o/Predestina- 
tiov  Jl.onlJ  be  openly  preached  and  iftfijied  oh  ;  and 
per  tvbat  rcafons. 


PON  the  whole,  it  is  evident,  that 
^Komo^mco  jj.  the  doctrine  of  God’s  eternal  and  un- 
U  ■<:•$?  changtable  predellination  Ihould  neither 
ecoo*^£  oooa  );*  be  wholly  fupprefied  and  laid  alide;  nor 
yet  be  confined  to  the  difquifition  of  the 
learned  and  fpeculative  only  :  but  likewife  fhould  be 
publicly  taught  from  the  pulpit  and  the  prefs  :  that 
even  the  ineaneil  of  the  people  may  not  be  ignorant  of 
a  truth,  which  reflects  fuch  glory  on  God,  and  is  the 
very  foundation  of  happineis  to  man.  Let  it,  however, 
be  preached  with  judgment  and  diicretion:  i.  c.  deliver¬ 
ed  by  the  preacher,  as  it  is  delivered  in  Scripture ;  and 
no  otherwile.  By  which  means,  it  can  neither  be 
abufed  to  licentioufnefs,  or  mifapprehenaed  to  defpair: 
but  will  eminently  conduce  to  the  knowledge,  efta- 
blilhment,  improvement  and  comfort  of  them  that 
hear.  That  predeilination  ought  to  be  preached,  I 
thus  prove  i 

I.  The  Gofpel  is  to  be  preached  :  and  that  not 
partially,  and  by  peace-meal,  but  the  whole  of  it. 
The  commiilion  runs,  “  Go  forth  and  preach  the 
“  Gospel  the  gofpel  itfelf,  even  all  the  gofpel, 
without  exception  or  limitation  :  for,  fo  far  as  the  gof¬ 
pel  is  maimed,  or  any  branch  of  the  evangelical  fyilem 
is  fuppreffed  and  palled  over  in  lilence,  fo  far  the  gof¬ 
pel  s  not  preached.  Befides,  there  is  fcarce  any  other 
cuitinguilhing  dedhine  of  the  gofpel  can  be  preached, 
in  its  purity  and  conlifteney  without  this  of  pre- 
deftination.  Eledtion  is  the  golden  thread  that  runs 
through  the  whole  Chriftian  fyilem,  ’tis  the  leaven, 
that  pervades  the  whole  lump.  Cicero  fays  of  the 

varifm 


[  97  1 

various  parts  of  human  learning,  ‘  Orrines  artes,  quae 

*  ad  hmnanitatem  pertinent,  habent  quoddam  com- 

*  mune  vinculum,  &c  quali  cognatione  quadam  inter  1'e 

*  continentur  :’  i.  e.  4  The  whole  circle  of  arts  have  a 
‘  kind  of  mutual  bond  and  connection  ;  and,  by  a  lort 
‘  of  reciprocal  relationlhip,  are  held  together,  and  in- 

*  terwoven  with  each  other.’  Much  the.fame  may  be 
faid  of  this  important  doctrine  :  it  is  the  bond,  which 
connects  and  keeps  together  the  whole  Chridian  fydem ; 
which,  without  this,  is  like  a  fydem  ot  land,  ever  rea¬ 
dy  to  fall  to  pieces.  ’Tis  the  cement  which  holds  the 
fabric  together  ;  nay,  it  is  the  very  foul  that  animates 
the  whole  frame.  It  is  fo  blended  and  interwoven 
with  the  entire  fcheme  of  gofpel  doftrine,  that,  when 
the  former  is  excluded,  the  latter  bleeds  to  death.  An 
ambaflador  is  to  deliver  the  whole  melfage  with  which 
he  is  charged.  He  is  to  omit  no  part  of  it ;  but  mult 
declare  the  mind  ot  the  Sovereign  he  reprefents,  fully 
and  without  referve.  He  is  to  fay  neither  more  nor 
Icfs,  than  the  indrudtions  of  his  court  require.  Elfe, 
he  comes  under  difpleafure  ;  perhaps,  lofes  his 
head.  Let  the  Minilters  of  Chrid  weigh  this  well. 

Nor  is  the  gofpel  to  be  preached  only,  but  preach¬ 
ed  to  every  creature  :  i.  e.  to  reafonable  beings,  pro- 
milcuouily,  and  at  large ;  to  all,  who  frequent  the 
Ch  iilian  miniilry,  of  every  date  and  condition  in  life; 
whether  high  or  low,  young  or  old,  learned  or  illite¬ 
rate.  Ail,  who  attend  on  the  minilirations  of  Chrid’s 
Ambafiadors,  have  a  right  to  hear  the  gofpel  fully, 
clearly,  and  without  mincing.  Preach  it,  fays 
Chriif,  Mark  xvi.  r^.  4  publifh  it  abroad  ;  be  its  criers 
4  and  heralds ;  proclaim  it  aloud ;  tell  it  out ;  keep 
4  back  no  part  of.it  ;  fpare  not  ;  lift  up  your  voices 
4  like  trumpets.’  Now,  a.  very  confiderable  branch  of 
this  go  pel  is,  The  doctrine  of  God’s  eternal,  free, 
abfolute,  and  irreverfible  election  of.  fome  perfons,  in 
Chrid,  to  everl-ading  life.  The  faints  were  lingled 
out,  in  God’s  eternal  purpofe  arid  choice,  z it  crcderent , 
to  be  endued  with  faith,  and  thereby  fitted  for  their 
dedined  falvation.  By  their  intered  in  the  gratuitous, 
unalienable  love  of  the  blefled  Trinity,  they  come  to 
l  be, 


[  98  ] 

;kc,  fub’ectively,  faints  and  believers  :  fo  that  their 
•whole  falvation,  from  the  firft  plan  of  it  in  the  Divine 
mind,  to  the  confummation  of  it  in  glory,  is,  at  once, 
a  matter  of  mere  grace,  and  .of  abfolute  certainty. 
While  they,  who  die  without  faith  and.  holinefs,  prove, 
thereby,  that  =they  were  not  included  in  this  eledt 
number,  and  were  not  written  in  the  book  of  life. 
The  juilice  of  God’s  procedure  herein  is  unqueftion- 
able.  Out  of  a  corrupt  mafs,  wherein  not  one  was 
better  than  another,’ he  might,  (as  was  obferved  before) 
love  and  chufe  whom,  and  as  many  as  he  pleafcd. 
It  was,  likewife,  without  any  (hadow  of  injunice, 
at  his  option,  whom,  and  how  many  he  would  pafs 
by.  His  not  chufing  them  was  the  fruit  of  his  fo- 
vereign  will ;  but  his  condemning  them,  after  death, 
and  in  the  lafl  day,  is  the  fruit  (not  of  their  non- 
eledtion,  which  was  no  fault  of  theirs ;  but)  of  their 
own  pofitive  tranfgreffions.  The  eleft,  therefore, 
have  the  utmoft  reafon  to  love  and  glorify  God, 
which  any  beings  can  poflibly  have:  and  the  fenfe, 
of  what  he  has  done  for  them,  is  the-ftrongeft  motive 
to  obedience.  On  the  other  hand,  the  reprobates 
have  nothing  to  complain  of ;  fince,  whatever  God 
does,  is  juft  and  right  ;  and  fo  it  will  appear  to  be, 
(however  darkly  matters  may  appear  to  us  now) 
when  we  “  fee  him  as  he  is,  and  know  him  even  as 
“  we  are  known.” 

And  now,  why  fnculd  not  this  dadhine  be  preach¬ 
ed  and  inlifted  upon  in  public  ?  A  doeftrine,  which 
is  of  exprefs  revelation  ;  a  dodtrine  that  makes 
wholly  for  the  glory  of  God;  which  conduces,  in 
n  moil  peculiar  manner,  to  the  converfton,  comfort, 
and  fandlificatjon  of  the  elect ;  and  leaves  even  the 
ungodly  themfelves  without  exctil'e  ! 

But,  perhaps,  you  may  ftill  be  inclined  to  queftion, 
Whether  predellination  be  indeed  a  feripture  doctrine. 
1  f  fo,  let  me,  by  way  of  famplc,  beg  you  to  consider 
the  following  declarations,  i.  Of  Christ,  z.  Of  his 
Apoftles. 

Matth.  xi.  “  If  the  mighty  works,  that  have 
£ 5  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and 

“  Sidon, 


r  99'  3 

“  Si  do  it,  ■  they  would  have  repented,”  &c.  Whence1 
it  is  evident,,  that  the  Tyrians  and  Sidonians,  at  leafc 
the  majority  of  them,  died  in  a  Hate  of  impcnitency  > 
but  that,  if  God  had  given  them  the  fame  means 
el  grace,  afforded  to  Ifrael,  they  would  not  have  died 
impenitent  :  yet  thole  means  were  not  granted  them. 
How  can  this  be  accounted  tor  only  on  the  lingle 
principle  of  peremptory  predeffination,  flowing  from 
the  fovereign  will  of  God.  No  wonder,  then,  that  our 
Lord  concludes  that  chapter,  with  there  remarkable 
words,  “  1  thank  thee,  Holy  Father,  Lord  of  hea- 
“  ven  and  earth,,  becaufe  Thou  halt  hid  thefe  things - 
“  Irorn  the  wife  and  prudent,  and  halt  revealed  them 
“  unto  babes  :  even  fo,  Father;  tor  fo  it  feemed 
“  good  in  thy  light.”  Where  Chrill  thanks  the  Father, 
for  doing  that  very  thing,  which  Armiuians  exclaim 
againll  as  unjuft,  and  cenfure  as  partial! 

Matth.  xiii.  “  To  you  it  is  given  to  know  the  my- 
“  fteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  them  it  is 
"  not  given.” 

Matth.  xx.  23.  “  To  fit  on  my  right  hand,  and  on 
“'my  left,  is  not  mine  to  give,  except  to  them  for 
“  whom  it  hath  been  prepared  by  my  Father:”  q.  d. 
Salvation  is  not  a  precarious  thing  :  the  feats  in 
glory  were  difpefed;  of  long  ago,  in  my  Father’s  in¬ 
tention  and-  deification  :  I.  can  only  allign  them  to 
fuch  perfons,  as  they  were  prepared  for,,  in  his  dcr 
cree. 

Matth.  xxii.  “  Many  are  called,  but  few  cbofen 
;.  e.  All,  'who  live  under  t-fte  found  of  the  gofpel, 
will  not  be  laved ;  but  thofe  only  who  are  elected  unto  • 
life. 

Matth.  xxiv.  “  For  the  elects  fake,  thole  days  1WI 
“  be  lhortened.”  fs1  ibid.  41  If  it  were  polfible,  they 
“  fhould  deceive  the  very  elect  where,  it  is  plain, 
Chrilf  teaches  two  things;  (i.)  That  there  is  a  cer¬ 
tain  number  of  perlons,  who  are  elected  to  grace  and 
glory ;  and,  (2.)  That  it  is  abfolutely  impoffible 
for  theie  to  be  deceived  into  total  or  final  apo- 
ftacy. 


Matth. 


[  TOO  ] 

Matth.  xxv.  “  Cfcme  ye  bieffed  of  my  Father,  in- 
“  herit  the  kingdom!  prepared  for  you  from  the  foun- 
“  dation  of  the  world.” 

Mark  xi.  “  Unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the  my- 
“  fiery  of  the  kingdom  of  God  :  but,  to  them  that  are 
“  without,”  i.  e.  out  of  the  prde  of  election,  “  all 
“  thefe  things  are  done  in  parables  ;  that,  feeing, 
“  they  may  fee,  and  not  perceive  ;  and,  hearing,  they 
“  may  hear,  and  hot  underhand  :  leit,  at  any  time, 
“  they  Ihould  be  converted,  and  their  fins  fhould  be 
“  forgiven  them.” 

Luke  x.  “  Rejoice,  becaufe  your  names  are  written 
“  in  heaven.” 

Luke  xii.  “  It  is  your  Father’s  good  pleafure  to  give 
“  you  the  kingdom.” 

Luke  xvii.  “  One  fhall  be  taken,  and  the  other  fhall 
“  be  left.” 

John  vi.  “  All  that  the  Father  hath  given  me,  fhall 
“  come  unto  me  as  much  as  to  fay,  Thefe  (hall,  but 
the  reft  cannot. 

John  viii.  “  He  that  is  of  God,  heareth  God’s 
“  words ;  ye  therefore  hear  them  not,  becaufe  ye  are 
11  not  of  God  :”  not  chofen  of  him. 

John  x.  “  Ye  believe  not,  becaufe  ye  are  not  of  my 
4‘  fheep.”  * 

John  xv.  “  Ye  have  net  cLcfen  me,  tut  I  have  cho« 
“  fen  you..’’ 

I  come  now,  2.  To  the  Apoftles. 

John  xii.  37,  30.  “  They  believed  not  on  him,  that 
“  the  faying  of  Efaias  tffe  prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 
“  which  he  fpake  ;  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  re- 
“  port  ?  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been 
“  revealed  ?  Therefore  they  could  not  believe,  becaufe 
“  Efaias  fa  id  again,  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and 
“  hardened  their  hearts ,  that  they  fhould  not  fee  with 
“  their  eyes,  nor  underhand  with  their  hearts,  and  be 
“  converted,  ar.d  I  fhould  heal  them.”  Without  cer¬ 
tain  prefcience,  there  could  be  no  prophecy  ;  and, 
without  predeftination,  no  certain  prefcience.  There¬ 
fore,  in  order  to  the  accompli!!  ment  of  prophecy,  pre¬ 
ference,  and  predeftination,  we  are  exprefsly  told,  that 

thefe 


[  icr  ] 

thefe  perfons  could  not  believe;  they  were  not 
able  ;  it  was  out  of  their  power.  In  fhort,  there  is 
hardly  a  page,  in  St.  John’s  gofpel,  which  does  nor, 
either  exprelsly  or  implicitly,  make  mention  of  elec¬ 
tion  and  reprobation, 

St.  Peter  fays  of  Judas,  Ads  i.  “  Men  and  brethren, 
“  the  fcriptures  muff  needs  have  been  fulfilled,  which 
“  the  Holy  Ghoft,  by  the  mouth  of  David,  ipake  be- 
“  fore,  concerning  Judas.”  So,  verle2£.  “  That  he 
“  might  go  to  his  own  place  to  the  place  of  pumlh- 
ment  appointed  for  him. 

Ads-  ii.  “  Him,  being  delivered  by  the  deter- 
“  minate  counfel  and  foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have 
“  taken,  and,  with  wicked  hands,  have  crucified  and 
“  (lain.” 

Ads  iv.  u  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  and  the 
“  Gentiles,  and  the  people  of  Ilrael,  were  gathered  to- 
“  gether,  for  to  do  whatfoever  thy  hand  and  thy  coun- 
“  fel  determined  before  to  be  done  predeidinated 
fliould  come  to  pafs. 

Ads  xiii.  “  And  as  many,  as  were  ordained  to  eter- 
“  nal  life,  believed  deligned,  deltined,  or  appointed 
unto  life. 

Concerning  the  Apofide  Paul,  what  fhall  I  fay  ? 
every  one,  that  ha9  read  his  epilfles,  knows,  that 
they  teem  with  predeffirration,  from  beginning  to 
end  I  lhall  only  give  one  or  two  p adages  :  and 
I  7.  bejrirl 

•e===s==esx 

*  A  friend  of  mine,  who  has  a  large  property  in 
Ireland,  was  converting,  one  day,  with  a  Popilh  tenant 
of  his,  upon  religion.  Among  other  points,  they  dip 
cuffed  the  pradice  of  having  ‘  public  prayers  in  an 
‘unknown  tongue.’  My  friend  took  down  a  New 
Teflament  from  his  book-cafe,  and  read  part  of  i  Cor. 
xiv.  When  he  had  finifhed,  the  poor,  zealous  Papiff 
rofe  up  from  his  chair,  and  laid,- with  great  vehemence, 

6  I  verily  believe,  St,  Paul  was  an  heretic.’ 

Can  the  perfon  who  carefully  reads  the  epiflles  of 
that  great  Apoftle,  doubt  of  bis  having  been  a  tho¬ 
rough  pac’d  Preddlinariani1 


[  102  ] 

begin  with  that  famous  chain,  Rom.  viii.  “  Whom  he 
“  did  foreknow/'  (or  tore-love,  tor,  to  know,  otten  fig- 
nifies,  in  feripture,  to  love)  “  he  alfo  did  predeltinate 
“  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,  that  he 
“  might  be  the  iirlt-born  among  many  brethren 
that,  as  in  all  things  elie,  fo  in  the  bufinefs  of  election, 
Chrift  might  have  the  preheminence  ;  He  being  firfl 
chofe,  as  a  Saviour,  and  they  in  him  to  be  laved  by 
him  :  “  Moreover,-  whom  he  did  predeltinate,  them 
“  he  alio  called  ;  and  whom  he  called,  them  he  alfo 
“juflifled;  and  whom  he  juftified,  them  he  alfo  glo- 
rifled.” 

The  9th,  10th,  and  xith  chapters  of  the  fame 
Epiftle  are  protefled  differtations  on,  and  illuflrations 
ot,  the  do/trine  of  God’s  decrees  ;  and  contain,  like- 
wife,  a  folution  of  the  principal  objections  brought 
againft  that  doctrine. 

Gal.  i.  “  Who  feparated  me  from  my  mother’s 
“  womb,  and  called  me  by  his  grace.” 

The  tint  chapter  ot  Epheiians  treats  of  little  elfe  b  .it 
election  and  predeflination. 

2  ThefT.  ii.  After  obferving,  that  the  reprobates 
perilh  willfully  ;  the  Apoflle  by  a  flriking  tranfition, 
addrefles  himlelf  to  the  elect  Theflalonians,  faying  : 
“  Bur  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  ahvay  to  God, 
for  you,  brethren,  beloved  of  the  Lord,  becaufe 
God  hath,  from  the  beginning,  chofen  you  to  fal- 
vation,  through  fanctification  ot  the  fpirit  and  belief 
“  of  the  truth.” 

2  Tim.  i.  “  Who  hath  fared  11s,  and  called  us  with 
“  an  holy  calling,  not  according  to  our  own  works, 
“  but  according  to  his  own  purpofe,  and  grace  which 
“  was  given  us,  in  Chrifl,  before  the  world  began.” 

St.  Jude,  on  the  other  hand,  deferibes  the  repro¬ 
bate  as  “  ungodly  men,  who  were,  of  old,  fore-or- 
“  dained  to  this  condemnation.” 

Another  Apoflle  makes  this  peremptory  declara¬ 
tion  ;  “  Who  itumble  at  the  word,  being  difobedient, 
“  whereunto  alfo  they  were  appointed  :  but  ye  are 
“a  chosen  genera  don”  [an  elefcl  race]  “  a  royal 
•'  pricilhood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,”  1  Pet. 


[  ] 

ii.  8,  g.  a  people  purchafed  to  be  his  peculiar  proper¬ 
ty  and  polleffion.  To  all  which,  may  be  added, 

Rev.  xvii.  8.  “  Whofe  names  were  not  written  in 
“  the  book  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.” 

All  thele  texts  are  but  as  an  handful  to  the  harvell  : 
and  yet  are  both  numerous  and  weighty  enough,  to  de¬ 
cide  the  point,  with  any,  who  pay  the  lead  deference 
to  Scripture  authority.  And  let  it  be  oblerved,  that 
C brill  and  his  Apoftles  delivered  thele  matters,  not 
to  fome  privileged  perlons  only,  but  to  all,  at  large,  who 
had  ears  to  hear,  and  eyes  to  read.  Therefore,  it  is 
incumbent  on  every  faithful  Minifter,  to  tread  in  their 
lleps,  by  doing  likewife;  nor  is  that  Minifter  a  faith¬ 
ful  one,  faithful  to  Chrift,  to  truth,  and  to  fouls, 
who  keeps  back  any  part  of  the  counfel  of  God,  and 
buries  thole  dodrines  in  filence,  which  he  is  command¬ 
ed  to  preach  upon  the  houfe  tops. 

The  great  St.  Aullin,  in  his  valuable  treatife,  De 
Bono  Pcrfever .  tf.edually  obviates  the  objections  of 
thole,  who  are  for  burying  the  dodrine  of  predeftina- 
tion  in  lilence.  He  lhews,  that  it  ought  to  be  public¬ 
ly  taught :  del'cribes  the  neceftity  and  ufefulnefs  of 
preaching  it  ;  and  points  out  the  manner  of  doing  it 
to  edification.  And  iince  fome  perfons  have  condemn¬ 
ed  St.  Aullin,  by  bell,  book,  and  candle,  lor  his  Head- 
fail  attachment  to,  and  nervous,,  fuccelsful  defences 
ot,  the  decrees  of  God;  let  us  hear  what  Luther,  that 
great  light  in  the  church  thought,  refpeding  the  argu¬ 
ment  before  us. 

Erafmus  (in  moll  other  refpeds,  a  very  excellent 
man)  affected  to  think,  that  it  was  of  dangerous 
confequence  to  propagate  the  dodrine  of  predelti na¬ 
tion,  either  by  preaching  or  writing.  His  words  are 
thele  :  ‘  What  can  be  more  ulelefs,  than  to  publifh 
‘  this  paradox  to  the  world  ?  namely,  that  what- 
‘  ever  we  do,  is  done,  not  by  virtue  of  our  own 
‘free  will,  but  in  a* way  of  neceftity,  &c.  What 
‘  a  wide  gap  does  the  publication  of  this  tenet  open 
‘  among  men,  for  the  commiffion  of  all  ungodlinefs  1 
‘  What  wicked  perfon  will  reform  his  life  ?  Who  will 
1  dare  to  believe  hijtnfclf  a  favourite  of  heaven  l  Who 


[  I°4  1 

4  will  fight  againft  his  own  corrupt  inclinations  ? 
4  Therefore,  where  is  either  the  need,  or  the  utility, 
‘  of  fpreading  thefe  notions,  from  whence  fo  many 
4  evils  feem  to  flow  ?’ 

To  which,  Luther  replies  ;  ‘If,  my  Erafmus,  you 
4  confider  thefe  paradoxes  (as  you  term  them}  to  be  no 
‘  more  than  the  inventions  of  men  ;  why  are  you  fo 
4  extravagantly  heated  on  the  occafion  ?  In  that  cafe, 
4  your  arguments  affe<51  not  me:  for  there  is  no  perfon, 

4  now  living  in  the  world,  who  is  a  more  avowed  ene- 
4  my  to  the  doctrines  of  men,  than  myfelf.  But  if  you 
4  believe  the  doffrines,  in  debate  between  us,  to  be 
4  (as  indeed  they  are)  the  dodfrines  of  God  ;  you  muft 
4  have  bid  adieu  to  all  fenfe  offliame  and  decency,  thus 
4  to  oppofe  them.  I  will  not  alk,  Whither  is  the  mo- 
4  defly  of  Erafmus  fled  ?  But,  which  is  much  more 
4  important,  Where,  alas  !  are  your  fear  and  reverence 
4  of  the  DJty,  when  you  roundly  declare,  that  this 
4  branch  of  truth,  which  he  has  revealed  from  heaven, 
4  is,  at  bert,  ufelefs,  and  unneceflary  to  be  known  ? 
4  What !  fhall  the  glorious  Creator  be  taught  by  you 
4  his  creature,  what  is  fit  to  be  preached,  and  what  to 
4  be  fupprefled  ?  Is  the  adorable  God  fo  very  defective 
4  in  wifdom  and  prudence,  as  not  to  know,  till  you  in- 
4  ftrudf  him,  what  would  be'  ufeful,  and  what  pemi- 
4  cious  ?  Or  could  not  He,  whole  underftanding  is 
4  infinite,  forefee,  previous  to  his  revelation  of  this 
4  dodlrine,  what  would  be  the  confequences  of  his  i 
4  vealing  it,  'till  thofe  confequences  were  pointed  out 
4  by  you  ?  You  cannot,  you  dare  not  fay  this.  If 
4  then  it  w’as  the  divine  pleafure  to  make  known  thefe 
4  things  in  his  word ;  and  to  bid  his  meflengers  publifh 
4  them  abroad,  and  leave  the  confequences  of  their  fo 
4  doing  to  the  wifdom  and  providence  of  Him,  in 
4  whofe  name  they  fpeak,  and  whofe  meflage  they  de- 
4  clare  ;  ivho  art  thou ,  G  Erafmus,  that  thou  JhoiddeJl 
4  reply  againft  God,  and  fay  to  the  Almighty,  What  doji 
4  thou  ?  St.  Paul  difeourfing  of  God,  decla.es  peremp- 
4  torily,’  44  Whom  he  will  he  hardeneth ‘and  again/ 
44  God  willing  to  fnew  his  wrath,”  &c.  4  And  the 

4  Apoflle  did  not  write  this,  to  have  it  ftifled  among  a 

1  few 


C  105  l 

‘  few  perfons,  and  buried  in  a  corner ;  but  wrote  it  to 

*  the  Chriftians  at  Rome :  which  was,  in  effect,  bring- 

*  ing  this  dbftrine  upon  the  ftage  of  the  whole  world  ; 

*  Ramping  an  uuiverfal  Imprimatur  upon  it ;  and 
‘  publishing  it  to  believers  at  large,  throughout  the 
‘  earth.— -What  can  found  hariher,  in  the  uncircumcif- 
‘  ed  ears  of  carnal  men,  than  thofe  words  ot  Chrift,’ 
“  Many  are  called,  but  few  chofeti  ?”  ‘  and  elfewherfe,’ 
“  I  know  whom  I  have  chofen.”  ‘  Now,  thele  and 
‘  limilar  aflertions  of  Chriit  and  his  Apoftles,  ate  the 
4  very  politions,  which  you,  O  Erafmus,  brand  as 
‘  ufelefs  and  hurtful.  You  objeft,’  “  If  thefe  thing! 
4  are  fo,  who  will  endeavour  to  amend  bis  life  ?  I  an- 
‘  fwer  ;  Without  the  Holy  Ghoft,  no  man  can  amend 
‘  his  lite  to  purpofe.  1  Reformation  is  but  Varnilhed 
‘  hypocrify,  unlefs  it  proceed  from  grace.  The  cleft 
4  and  truly  pious  are  amended  by  the  Spirit  of  God  : 
‘  and  thole  of  mankind,  who  are  not  amended  by  Him, 
4  will  perilh.— - You  alk,  moreover,  Who  will  dare  to 
4  believe  bimfclf  a  favourite  of  heaven  ?  I  anfwer,  it  is  not 
4  in  man’s  own  power  to  believe  himfelf  fuch,  upon 
4  juft  grounds,  ’till,  he  is  enabled  from  above.  But 
4  the  eleft  (hall  be  fo  enabled  :  they  fhall  believe  them- 
4  felves  to  be  what  indeed  they  are.  As  for  the  reft, 
4  who  are  not  endued  with  faith,  they  fhall  perilh  ; 
4  raging  and  biafphenvng,  as  you  do  now.  But,  fay 
4  you,  Thefe  dodlrincs  open  a  door  to  ungodlinef.  I  anfwer  ; 
4  Whatever  door  they  may  open  to  the  impious' and 
4  prophane  ;  yet,  they  open  a  door  of  righteoufnefs 
4  to  the  el  ft  and  holy,  ^nd  (how  them  the  way  to  hea- 
4  ven,  and  the  path  ofaccefs  unto  God.  Yet  you  would 
4  have  us  abftain  from  the  mention  ot  thefe  grand  doc- 
4  trines,  and  leave  our  people  in  the  dark,  as  to  their 
4  election  ot  God  :  the  conlequence  of  which  would  be, 
4  that  every  man  would  bolfter  himfelf  up  with  a  de- 
4  lufive  hope  of  afhare  in  that  falvation,  which  is  fup- 
4  pofed  to  lie  open  to  all  ;  and,  thus,  genuine  bvimili- 
4  ty,  and  the  practical  fear  ot  God,  would  be  kicked 
4  out  of  doors.  This  would  be  a  pretty  way  indeed, 
4  of  flopping  up  the  gap,  Erafmus  complains  of  1  In- 
4  Head  or  doling  up  the  door  of  licentioufnefs,  as  is 

4  ialiely 


[  IO&  ] 

‘  falfely  pretended  ;  it  would  be,  in  fadt,  opening'  a 
‘  gulph  into  the  nethermoll:  hell.  Still  you  urge,  JVhcrr 
‘  is  either  the  necejity,  or  utility,  of preaching pr  edcjlinati on? 

‘  God  himfelf  teaches  it,  and  commands  us  to  teach 

*  it:  and  that  is  anfwer  enough.  We  are  not  to  arraign 

*  the  Deity,  and  bring  the  motives  of  his  will  to  the 
‘tell  of  human  ferutiny  ;  but  limply  to  revere  both 

n  and  it.  He,  who  alone  is  all-wile  and  all-juft, 

‘  can,  in  reality  (however  things  appear  to  us)  do 
‘  wrong  to  no  man  ;  neither  can  he  do  any  thing  un- 
‘  wifely  or  ralhly.  And  this  conlidcration  will  fufticej 
‘  to  lilence  all  the  objections  of  truly  religious  perfons. 

‘  However,  let  us,  lor  argument’s  fake,  go  a  ftep  far- 
5  ther.  I  will  venture  to  aflign,  over  and  above,  two 
4  very  important  reafons,  why  thefe  dodtrir.es  ft.ould 
4  be  publicly  taught :  i.  For  the  humiliation  of  our  pri.’c, 

‘  and  the  manifeftation  of* divine  grace.  God  hath 
4  afturedly  promifed  his  favour  to  the  truly  humble-. 

4  By  truly  humble,  I  mean,  thofe  who  are  endued 
4  with  repentance,  and  defpair  of  faving  themfelves  ■: 

4  for  a  man  can  never  be  faid  to  be  really  penitent  and 
4  humble,  ’till  he  is  made  to  know  that  his  faltation  is 
4  not  fufpended,  in  any  meafute,  whatever,  on  his 
4  own  flrength,  machinations,  endeavours,  free  tvillj 
4  or  works;  bur  entirely  depends  on  the  free  pleafure, 
‘purpofe,  determination,-  and  efficiency  ot  another-; 

4  even  of  God  alone.  Whilft  a  man  is  perfuaded,  that 
4  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  contribute  any  thing,  be  it 
4  ever  fo  little,  to  his  own  falvation  ;  he  remains  in 
4  carnal  confidence  :  he  is  not  a  felf  dcfpairer,  and 
4  therefore  he  is  not  duly  humbled  before  God  ;  fo 
4  far  from  it,  that  he  hopes  fome  favourable  juncture 
4  or  opportunity  will  offer,  when  he  may  be  .able  to 
4  lend  an  helping  hand  to  the  bufinefs  ot  his  falva- 
4  tion.— On  the  contrary,  whoev  r  is  truly  convinced 
4  that  the  whole  work  depends  fingly  and  abfolutely 
4  on  the  will  ot  God,'  who  alone  is  the  author  and  fi- 
4  nifher  of  falvation  ;  fuch  a  perfon  defpairs  of  all  frlf- 
4  affiftance  :  he  renounces  his  own  will,  and  his  own 
4  ftrength  :  he  waits  and  prays  for  the  operation  of  4 
‘God:  nor  waits  and  prays  in  vain.  For  the  elects 

4  fake 


[  1 

£  'fake,  therefore,  thefe  doctrines  are  to  be  preached  : 
4  that '  the  chofen  of  God,  being  humbled  by  the 

knowledge  of  his  truths^  felf-emptied,  and  luuk, 
‘as  it  were,  into  nothing  in  h  is  pretence;  may  be 
4  fared,  in  Chrift,  with  eternal  glory.  This,  then,  is 
‘  one  inducement  to  the  publication  of  the  doctrine  ; 
4  that  the  penitent  may  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
‘  promife  of  grace,  plead  it  in  prayer  to  God,  and 
4  receive  it  as  their  own.  2.  The  nature  of  the  Chrift ian 
’■faith  requires  it.  Faith  has  to  do  with  things  not 
4  feen.— And  this  is  one  of  the  higheft  degrees  of  faith, 
4  ftedfafiiy  to  believe  that  God  is  infinitely  merciful, 
4  though  he  faves  (comparatively)  but  few,  and  con- 
4  demns  lo  many  ;  and  that  he  is  ftridtly  juft,  though, 
4  of  his  own  will,  he  makes  fuch  numbers  of  mankind 
4  neceflarily  liable  to  damnation.  Now,  thefe  are 
4  lome  of  the  unfeen  things,  whereof  faith  is  the  evi- 
4  dence.  Whereas,  was  it  in  my  power  to  compre- 
*  hend  them,  or  clearly  to  make  out,  .how  God  is 
4  both  inviolably  juft,  and  infinitely  merciful,  not- 
4  withftanding  the  difplay  of  wrath  and  feeming  in- 
4  equality  in  his  difpenfations  refpedting  the  reprobate  ; 
4  faith  wmuld  have  little  or  nothing  to  do.  But  nour, 
4  lince  thefe  matters  cannot  be  adequately  comprehend* 
4  ed  by  us,  in  the  prefent  ftate  of  imperfection;  there 
4.  is  room  for  the  exercife  of  faith.  The  truths,  tliere- 
4  fore,  refpedl'ing  preJeftination  in  all  its  branches, 
4  Ihould  be  taught  and  publiihed  :  they,  no  lefs  than 
4  the  other  myfteries  of  Chriftian  dodlrine,  being 
4  proper  objefts  of  faith,  on  the  part  of  God’s  peo- 
4  pie*.’ 

With  Luther  the  excellent  Bueer  agrees :  particu¬ 
larly,  on  Eph.  i.  where  his  words  are,  4  There  are 
4  fome,  who  affirm,  that  election  is  not  to  be  mention- 
4  ed  publicly  to  the  people.  But  they  judge  wrongly. 
4  The  Lleflings  which  Goi  beftows  on  man,  are  not 
4  to  be  fupprefi’ed,  but  infilled  and  enlarged  upoir: 
f  and,  if  ho,  furelv  the  bieffing  of  predefination  unto 

‘  If', 

*  Lutherus,  Be  Scrv.  Arhii.  in  refpons  ad  ult.  part, 
praefat.  EraJ'mi , 


[  io8  ] 

*  life,  which  is  the  greatelt  bleffing  of  al!,*lhould  not  be 
4  palled  over.’  And,  a  little  alter,  he  adds,  4  Take 

*  away  the  remembrance  and  conlideration  of  our  eiec- 
4  tion,  and  then,  good  God  !  what  weapons  have  we 
4  left  us,  wherewith  to  refill:  the  temptations  of  Sa- 
4  tan  ?— As  often  as  he  aflaults  our  laith  (which  he  is 
4  frequently  doing)  we  mud,  conltantly,  and  without 
4  delay,  have  recoprfe  to  our  eledion  in  Chrift,  as  to 
4  a  city  of  refuge.  Meditation  upon  the  Father’s  ap- 
4  pointment  of  us  to  eternal  lile,  is  the  beft  antidote 
‘•again!!  the  evil  furmifings  of  doubt! ulnefs  and  re- 
4  maiiiing  unbelief.  If  we  are  entirely  void  of  all  hope 
4  and  aiiurance,  refpeding  our  interell  in  this  capital 
4  privilege,  what  folid  and  comfortable  expectation  can 
"*  we  entertain,  of  future  blefiednefs  ?  How  can  we 
4  look  upon  God  as  our  gracious  Father,  and  upon  Chrift 
4  as  our  unchangeable  Redeemer  ?  without  which,  I 
4  fee  not  how  we  can  ever  truly  love  God  :  and,  it  we 
4  have  no  true  love  towards  him,  how  can  ueyieldac- 
4  ceptable  obedience  to  him  ?  Therefore,  thofe  perfons 
4  are  not  to  be  heard,  who  would  have  the  dodtrine  of 
4  eledion  laid  (as  it  were)  afleep,  and  feldom  or  never 
4  make  .  its  appearance  in  the  congregations  ot  the 
4  faithful.’ 

To  what  thefe  great  men  have,  fo  nervoufiy,  ad¬ 
vanced  ;  permit  me  to  add,  that  the  doctrine  ot  pre- 
deftination  is  not  only  uleful,  but  abfolutely  neceftiiry 
to  be  taught  and  known.  For, 

I.  Without  it,  we  cannot  form  juft  and  becoming 
ideas  of  God.  Thus,  unlefs  he  certainly  foreknows, 
and  foreknew  from  everlalting,  all  things  that  fhould 
come  to  pafs ;  his  underftanding  would  not  be  infinite : 
and  a  Deity  of  limited  underftanding  is  no  Deity  at  all. 
Again,  we  cannot  fuppofe  him  to  have  foreknown  any 
thing,  which  he  had  not  previoufiy  decreed  ;  without 
letting  up  a  feries  of  caules,  extra  Deum ,  and  making 
the  Deity  dependent,  for  a  great  part  of  the  knowledge 
he  has,  upon  the  will  and  works  of  his  creatures,  and 
upon  a  combination  of  circumftances  exterior  to  hira- 
felf.  Therefore,  his  determinate  plan,  counfel,  and 
purpofe,  (i.  e,  his  own  predestination  of  caules  and  ef- 


[  i®9  3 

feds)  is  the  only  balls  of  his  foreknowledge  :  which 
foreknowledge  could  neither  be  certain,  nor  indepen¬ 
dent,  but  as  founded  on  his  own  antecedent  decree.  2. 
He  alone  is  entitled  to  the  name  of  True  God,  who 
governs  all  things,  and  without  whofe  will  (either  effi¬ 
cient  or  permillive)  nothing  is  or  can  be  done.  And 
fuch  is  the  God  of  the  fcriptures :  againft  whofe  will, 
not  a fparrow  can  die,  nor  an  hair  fall  from  our  beads  f 
Matth.  x.  Now,  what  is  predeftination,  but  the  deter¬ 
mining  will  of  God  ?  I  defy  the  fubtileft  Semi-pe¬ 
lagian  in  the  world,  to  form,  or  convey,  a  juft  and  wor¬ 
thy  notion  of  the  Supreme  Being,  without  admitting 
him  to  be  the  great  caufe  of  all  caufes  elfe,  himfelf  de¬ 
pendent  on  none :  who  willed  from  eternity,  how  he 
would  aid  in  time  ;  and  fettled  a  regular,  determinate 
feheme  of  what  he  would  do,  and  permit  to  be  done, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  confummation  of  the  world. 
A  contrary  view  of  the  Deity  is  as  inconiiftent  with 
reafon  itfelf,  and  with  the  very  religion  of  nature,  as  it 
is  with  the  deciftons  of  revelation.  Nor  can  we,  rati¬ 
onally,  conceive  of  an  independent, .  all-perfeft  Firffc 
Caufe,  without  allowing  him  to  be,  (3.)  Unchangeable 
in  his  purpofes.  His  decrees  and  his  eflence  coincide : 
confequently,  a  change  in  thofe,  would  infer  an  alte¬ 
ration  in  this.  Nor  can  that  Being  be  the  true  God, 
whofe  will  is  variable,  fluctuating,  and  indetermi¬ 
nate  :  for,  his  will  is  himfelf  willing.  A  Deity  with¬ 
out  decrees,  and  decrees  without  immutability,  are,  of 
all  inventions  that  ever  entered  the  heart  of  man,  the 
fnoft  abfurd.  (4.)  Without  predeftination,  to  plan  ; 
and,  without  Providence,  to  put  that  plan  in  execu¬ 
tion  ;  what  becomes  of  God’s  Omnipotence  ?  It  va- 
niffies  into  air.  It  becomes  a  mere  non-entity.  For, 
what  fort  of  Omnipotence  is  that,  which  may  be 
baffled  and  defeated,  by  the  very  creatures  it  has 
made  ?  Very  different  is  the  idea  of  this  attribute, 
fuggefted  by  the  Pfalmift,  Pfalm  cxiii.  “  Whatfoever 
“  the  Lord  willed,  that  did  he  in  heaven  and  in  earth, 
“  in  the  fea,  and  in  all  deep  places:”  i.  e.  He  not 
only  made  them  when  he  would,  but  orders  them  when 
K  made. 


C  no  ] 

made.  (5.)  He  alor.e  is  the  true  God,  according  to 
fcripture  reprefentaticn,  who  faves,  by  his  mere  mercy 
and  voluntary  grace,  thofe  whom  he  hath  chofen  ;  and 
righteoufly  condemns  (tor  their  fins)  thole  whom  he 
thought  fir  to  pal's  by.  But,  without  predeftination, 
t here  cou-ld  be  no  fuch  thing,  either  as  fovereign 
mercy,  or  voluntary  grace.  For,  after  all,  w-hat  is  pre- 
deltination, -but. his  decree,  4o  fave  fome,  of  his  mere 
goodnefs  ;  and  to  condemn  others,  in  his  juft  judg¬ 
ment  ?— Now,  ’tis  moft  evident,  that  the  fcripture 
dodtrineof  Predeftination,  is  the  cleareft  mirror,  where¬ 
in  to  fee  and  contemplate  thefe  elfential  attributes  of 
..God.  Here  they  all  Ihine  forth,  in  their  fulnefs  of 
harmony  and  luilre.  Deny  predeftination,  and  you 
deny  (though,  perhaps,  not  intentionally,  r  et  by  ne- 
eefiary  confequer.ce)  the  adorable  perfections  cf  the 
Godhead  :  in  concealing  that,  you  throw  a  veil  over 
thefe  ;  and,  in  preaching  that,  you  hold  up  theft,  to  the 
comfort,  the  eftablifhment,  and  the  admiration  of  the 
believing  world. 

II.  Predeftination  is  to  be  preached,  lecaufe  the 
grace  of  God  (which  llands  oppofed  to  all  human  wor- 
ihinefs)  cannot  be  maintained  without  it.  The  excel¬ 
lent  St.  Auftin  makes  life  of  this  very  argument.  ‘  If,’ 
lays  he,  ‘  there  two  privileges’  [namely,  faith  itlelf, 
and  final  perfeveranqe  in  faith]  ‘  are  the  gilts  of  God; 

‘  and  if  God  foreknew  on  whom  he  would. bellow  thefe 
4  gifts  ;  (and  who  can  doubt  of  fo  evident  a  truth  ?) 

‘  ’tis  necelTary  for  predeftination  .to  be  preached,  as  the 
*  fure  and  invincible  bulwark  of  that  true  gtace  of 
6  God,  which  is  given  to  men  without  any  ccnfidera- 
c  tion  of  merit  *.’  Thus  argued  St.  Auftin,  againft 
the  Pelagians,  who  taught,  That  grace  is  offered  to 
all  men  alike  :  That  God,  for  his  part,  equally  .wills 
the  l'alvation  of  all  ;  and,  That  it  is  in  the  power  of 
man’s  free-will  to  accept,  or  rejedf,  the  grace  and  fal- 
vation  fo  offered.  Which  firing  of  errors  do,  as  Auf¬ 
tin  juflly  obferves,  center  in  this  grand  point,  gratiam 
fecundim  nojlra  merita  dari ;  that  God’s  grace  is  not 

free, 

*  De  Bono  Perfever.  .cap.  21. 


[  X  ft  ] 

free,  b'ot  the  fruit  of  man’s  defeit.  Now,  the  doffrine 
of  predefti  nation  batters  down  this  del  alive  Babel  or 
free-will  and  merit.  It  teaches  us,  that,  if  we  do  in¬ 
deed  will  and  deare  to  lay  hold  on  Cnrill  and  falvation 
by  him  ;  this  will  and  delire  are  the  effect  of  God’s 
fecret  purpofe  and  effectual  operation:  for  he  it  is, 
“  who  worketh  in  us,  both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his 
“  own  good  plealure ;  that  he  that  glorieth,  Ihould 
(i  glory  in  the  Lord.”  There  neither  is,  nor  can  be, 
any  me  a  in  my  between  predeftinating  grace,  and  falva¬ 
tion  by  human  merit.  We  mult  believe  and  preach" 
one,  or  the  other :  for  they  can  never  Itand  together. 
No  attempts,  to  mingle  and  reconcile  thefe  two  iricom- 
pitible  oppolites,  can  ever  lucceed  ;  the  Apodle  him- 
fell  being  judge  :  “  If,”  lays  he,  “  it”  [namely  elec¬ 
tion]  “  be  by  grace,  then  is  it  no  more  by  works  y 
44  otherwise  grace  is  no  more  grace  :  but,  if  it  be  of 
“  works,  then  is  it  no  more  grace  ;  otherwife,  work  is 
“  no  more  work,”  Rom,  xi.  6.  Exatftiy  agreeable  to 
which,  is  that  of  St.  Aultin  ;  ‘  Either  rede lli nation  is 
‘  to  be  preached,  as  exprefsiy  as  the  feriptures  deliver 
*  it,  -viz-.  That,  with  regard  to  thole  whom  he  hath 
‘  chofen,’  “  the  gif's  and  calling  of  God  are  without 
“  repentance;”  4  or,  we  mall  roundly  declare,  as  the 
4  Pelagians  do,  that  grace  is  given  according  to  merit*.’ 
Moll  certain  it  is,  that  the  doftrine  of  gratuitous  jufti- 
fication  through  Chrill,  can  only  be  fupported  on 
that  of  our  gratuitous  prededination  im  Ciarifl:  :  fince 
the  latter  is  the  cauie  and  foundation  of  the  former, 

III.  By  the  preaching  of  predelfination,  Man  is 
duly  humbled,  and  God  alone  is  exalted  :  Human  pride  is 
levelled  ;  and  the  Divine  glory  fhines  untarnilhed,  be- 
caufe  unrivalled.  This  the  fitcred  writers  politively 
declare.  Let  St.  Paul  belpokefinan  for  the  red,  (Eph. 
i.  6.)  “  Having  predeflinated  us— To  the  praife  of 
“  tire  glory  of  his  grace.”  But  how  is  it  poilible  for 
us  to  render  unto  God  the  praifes  due  to  the  glory  of  his 
grace ,  without  laying  this  threefold  foundation?  (i.) 
That  whofoever  are,  or  (hall  be  fuved,  are  laved  by  his 
K  2  alone 

*  De  Bono  Perfever.  cap.  16. 


[  ”2  ] 

alone  grace  in  Chrid,  in  consequence  of  his  eternal  pur- 
pofe,  paffed  before  they  had  done  any  one  good  thing. 
(2.)  That  what  good  thing  Soever  is  begun  to  be 
tv:  ought  in  our  Souls  (whether  it  be  illumination  of  the 
nnderdanding,  reftitude  of  the  will,  or  purity  of  affec¬ 
tions)  was  begun  altogether  of  God  alone ;  by  whofe 
invincible  agency,  grace  is  at  fird  conferred,  afterwards 
maintained,  and  finally  crowned.  (3.)  That  the  work 
of  internal  Salvation  (the  Sweet  and  certain  prelude  to 
eternal  glory)  was  not  only  begun  in  us,  of  his  mere 
grace  alone  ;  but  that  its  continuance,  its  progreSs  and 
increaSe,  are  no  leSs  free  and  totally  unmerited,  than 
its  fird,  original  donation.  Grace  alone  makes  the  eleCt 
gracious ;  grace  alone  keeps  them  gracious ;  and  the 
mine  grace  alone  will  render  them  everlaftingly  glori- 
mus,  in  the  heaven  of  heavens. 

Convernon  and  Salvation  mull,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  be  wrought  and  effected,  either  by  ourfelves 
alone  or,  by  ourfelves  and  God  together  ;---cr, 
jrlrlj  by  God  himfelf.— The  Pelagians  were  for  the 
iirll.  The  Arminians  are  for  the  fecond.  True  Be¬ 
lievers  are  for  the  lad ;  becaufe,  the  lad  hypotheds,  and 
that  only,  is  built  on  the  dronged  evidence  of  ferip- 
ture,  reafon,  and  experience  :  It,  mod  effectually,  hides 
pride  from  man;  and  fets  the  crown  of  undivided 
praife  upon  the  head,  or,  rather,  cads  it  at  the  feet  of 
that  glorious  Tri-une  God,  who  “  worketh  all  in  all.” 
But  this  is  a  crown,  which  no  finners  ever  yet  cad  be- 
.tore  the  throne  of  God,  who  were  not  fird  led  into 
the  tranfporting  views  of  his  gracious  decree  to  fave, 
freely,  and  of  his  own  will,  the  people  of  his  eternal 
love.  Exclude,  therefore,  O  Chr.idian,  the  article  of 
Sovereign  Prededination,  from  thy  minidry,  or  irom 
thy  faith  ;  and  acquit  thy  Self,  if  thou  art  able,  from 
tbe  charge  of  robbing  God. 

When  God  dees,  by  tbe  omnipotent  exertion  of  bis 
Spirit,  effeCfually  call  any  of  mankind,  in  time,  to  the 
adlual  knowledge  of  himfelf  in  Chrid  ;  w  hen  be,  like- 
wile,  goes  on  to  fanClify  the  iinners  he  has  called, 
making  them  to  excel  in  all  good  works,  ar.d  to  perle- 

rere, 


[  1 1 3  3 

vere,  in  the  love  and  refemblance  of  God,  to  theiri 
lives  end  ;  the  obferving  part  of  the  unawakened  world 
may  be  apt  to  conclude,  that  thefe  converted  perform 
might  receive  fuch  me'afures  of  grace  from  God,  be»- 
caufe  of  l'ome  previous  qualifications,  good  difpofitions,, 
or  pious  defires,  and  internal  preparations,  dii'covered 
in  them  by  the  all-feeing  eye  :  which,  if  true,  would 
indeed  transfer  the  praile  from  the  Creator,  and  con¬ 
dign  it  to  the  creature.— But  the  doftrine  of  Predeftina- 
tion,  abfolute,  free,  unconditional  Predeftination,  here 
fteps  in,  and  gives  God  his  own.  It  lays  the  axe  to- 
the  root  of  human  boalfing,  and  cuts  down  (for  which 
reafon,  the  natural  man  hates  it)  every  legal,  every  in  • 
dependent,  every  felf-righteous  imagination,  that  wouidf 
exalt  itfel  f,p  gainft  the  grace  of  God  and  the  glory  of 
Ghrift.  It  tells  us,  44  That  God  hath-  bleifed  us  with 
“  all  fpiritu  tl  biellings  in  his  Son  ;  according  as  he 
64  hath  chofen  us  in  him,  before  the  foundation  of  the 
44  world,”  in  order  to  our  being.. afterwards  made  44  ho- 
“  ly  and  blame lefs  before  him  in  love,”  Eph-.  i.  Of 
courfe,  whatever  truly  and  fpiritual  good  thing  is  found- 
in  any  perfon,  it  is  the  fpecial  gift  and  <vibrk  of  God  : 
given  and  wrought,  in  confequenc-e  of  eternal,  ur.me-' 
rited  election  to  grace  and  glory.  Whence,*  the  great- 
eft  faint  cannot  triumph  over  the  molt  abandoned  lin- 
ner  ;  but  is  led  to  refer  the  entire  praife  of  his  falva- 
tion,,  both  from  fin  and-  hell,  to  the-  mere  good  will  and 
fomereign  purpofe  If  God,  who  hath  gr’acioufiv  made  him? 
to  differ  from  that  world  which  lieth  in  'djiekednefs* 
Such  being  the  tendency  of  this  bleifed  docirine,'  how- 
injurious,  both"  to  God  and  man,-  would  the  fuppreilion' 
efit  be  ?  Well  does  Sb-Auftin  argue  :  4’A-s-  the’dude^ 
4  of  Piety  ought  to  be  preached  up,  that  he  who-  hath; 
*'  ears  to  hear,  .may  be  inftrufted  how  to  worlhip  God? 
4  aright;'  and  as  Chaftity  Ihould  be  publicly  reeom--- 
4  mended  arid  enforced.,,  that-  he,  who  hath  ears  to  hear,- 
4  rh-ay  know-  how  to  p  oftefs-  himfelf  in-  fahdHdeation  ji 
‘  and  as  Charity %  moreover,.  ffiould  be  inculcated  from 
*■  the  pulpit,  that  he  who  hath  ears  to  hear,  may  be  sx- 


[  11+  ] 

*  in  like  manner,  fhould  God’s  Predestination  of 
‘  his  favours  be  openly  preached,  that  he,  who  hath 
‘  ears  to  hear,  may  Team  to  glory,,  not  in  himfeif,  but 
4  in  the  Lord  *.’ 

IV.  Predefti nation  fhould  b>  publicly  taught  and  in- 
iiited  upon,  in  order  to  confirm  and  flrengthen  true  be¬ 
lievers  in  the  certainty  and  confidence  ot  their  falvati- 
onf.  For,  when  regenerate  perfons  are  told,  and  are 
enabled  to  believe,  that  the  glorification  of  the  elect 
is  alTuredly  fixed  in  God’s  eternal  purpofe,  that  it  is 
i.npollible  for  any  of  them  to  perifli ;  and  when  the 
regenerate  are  led  to  conlider  themfelves,  as  aflually 
belonging  to  this  elebf  body  of  Chrift ;  what  can  fla- 
blifh,  flrengthen,  and  fettle  their  faith  like  this  ? 
Nor  is  fuch  a  faith  prefumptuous  ;  for,  every 
converted  man  may  and  ought  to  conclude  himfeif 
elebied  :  fmce  God  the  Spirit  renews  thole  only, 
who  were  chosen  by  God  the  Father,  and  re¬ 
deemed  by  God  the  Son.  This  is  an  “  hope  which 
4-  maketh  not  afl.amed,”  nor  can  poffibly  iflue  in  difap- 
pointment,  if  entertained  by  thofe  “  into  whofe  hearts 
“  the  love  of  God  is  poured  forth;,,  by  the  Holy  Ghoil 
“given  unto  them,”  Rom.  v.  £. 

The  holy  triumph  and  affurance,  refulting  from  this 
Welled  view,  a  e  exprefsly  warranted  by  the  ApofHe, 
Rom.  viii..  where  he  deduces  effebtual  calling,  from  a. 
prior  predeilination  ;  and  infers  the  cyrtainty  of  final 
falvation,  from  effebrual  calling  r.  “  Whom  he  did  p-re- 
“  destinate,  them  he  alfo  called  ;  and  whom  he 
“  caHed,  them  he  alfo  justified:  and  whom  he 
“  juftified,  them  he  alfo  glor  i  fi ed.”  How  naturally. 


*  De  Bono  Perftver.  cap.  20. 

j-  Our  venerable  Reformers,  in  the  1 7th  of  our  xxxix- 
articles,  make  the  very  fameobfrrvation,  nd,nearly,inthe 
fame  words  :  — 4  The  godly  confideration  of  predeftina- 
1  t  on,  and  our  election  in  Chrifl,  is-  full  of  fweet, 

‘  pleafant  ard  unspeakable  comfort  to  godly  perfons 
4  beet: ufe  it  doth,. greatly  eftablijk  and  confirm -theit  fakb 
1  of  'cc-lrjt  ngjMvat:ont  to  teen  oyed  through  Chad,* 
£.  c. 


C  llS  1 

from  fuch  premifes,  docs  the  Apoftle  add,  “  Who  fhall 
“■  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God’s  eledt  ?  W  ho,” 
and  where  “  is  he  that  condemned’.  them? — Who,”' 
and  what,  “  fhall  feparate  us  from  the  love  ot  Chrift  ? 

‘ -  In  all  t'nefe  things  we  are,”  and  fhall  be,  “  more  than 
“  conquerors,  through  him  that  hath  loved  us:  for  I  am 
“  perfuaded”  [pepcifmai* ,  I  am  mod  clearly  and  allured  ly 
confident]  “  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels, 
“  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  prelent, 
“  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  jdepth,  nor 
“  any  other  creature,  flrall  be  able  to  feparate  us  from 
“  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Cliriiljefus  our  Lord.” 
So,  ellewhcre,  44  The  foundation  of  the  Lord,”  /.  e. 
His  d  cree  or  pnrpofe,  according  to  election,  “  ftand-* 
“  eth  fare ;  having  this  leal,  The  Lord  knoweth 
“them  that  are  his:”  which  is  particularly  noted 
by  the  Apoftl*,  left  true  believers-  might  be  difcou- 
raged,  and  begin  to  doubt  of  their  own  certain  perfeve- 
rance  to  falvation,.  qjther  from  a  fenfe  of  their. remain¬ 
ing  imperfetlions,  or  from  obfendng  the  open  apolLcy 
of  unregenerate  profeffors,  ,2.  Tim,  ii.— How  little  obli¬ 
ged,  therefore,  are  the  flock  of  Chriil,  to  thole  per-* 
fons,  who  would,  by  ft;  Hi ng  the  mention  of  predeiri- 
nation,  expunge  the  4  fenfe  and  certainty  of  everluft- 
‘  ing  bleflcdnefs’  from  the  lill  of  Chri Ilian-  privileges  ! 

V.  Without  the  dodlrine  of  predeiiination,  we  can¬ 
not  enjoy  a  lively  fight  and  experience  of  God’s  fpecial 
iove  and  mercy  towards  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  Blef- 
fings,  not  peculiar*  but  conferred,  indiferiminately, . 
on  every  man,  without  difhi ndlien  or  exception  ;  would 
neither  be  a  proof  of  peculiar  love  irr  the  donor,  nor 
calculated  or  excite  peculiar  wonder  and  gratitude  in 
the  receiver.  For  inllance,  rain  from  heaven,,  though 
an  invaluable  benefit,  is  not  confidered  as  an  argument 
ef  God’s  fpecial  and  peculiar  favour*  to. feme  indivi¬ 
duals,  above  others  :  and  why  ?  becauie  it  falls  on 
all  .alike  .-:  as- much. on  the.  rude  wilderjsefs,  and  the.  bar¬ 
ren- 

■3==s==s-- 

*  Certws-- film , ,  A  r  .  Montan.  Cert  a  julcperfiiafum 
mibi  babeo,  Era-sh,  .  Ki&a  -omtiLdabitationsj. 
i  &n.  ajj'urcjy  Dutch  yedlon*-.. 


[  n6  ] 

r?n  rock ;  as  on  the  cultivated  garden*  and  the  fruitful 
held. — But  the  blefling  of  election,  fomewhat  like  the 
Sib  \  lline  books,  riles  in  value,  proporticnably  to  the 

fewnefs  of  its  objetfrs. - So  that,,  when  we  rccolleift, 

that,  in  the  view  of  God  (to  whom  all  things  are,  at 
once,  preient)  the  whole  mafs  of  mankind  was  con- 
fidered  as  juftly  hable  to  condemnation,  on  account  of 
original  and  adtual  iniquity  ;  His  felecling  fome  indi¬ 
viduals,  from  among  the  relf,  and  graciouily  letting 
them  apart,  in  Chrill,  for  falvation  both  from  fin  and 
punifhment ;  were  fuch  afh  of  fovereign  goodnefs,  as 
exhibit  the  exceeding  greatnefs,  and  The  entire  free- 
nels,  of  his  love,.  in  the  moft  awful,  amiable,  and 
humbling  light. 

In  order,  then,  that  the  fpecial  grace  of  God  may 
fifiiie,  Predeftination  mult  be  preached  :  even  the  eter¬ 
nal  and  immutable  predeftination  oi  his  people  to  faith 
and  everlafting  life.  ‘  From  thofe  who  are  left  under 
‘  the  power  o!  guilt,’  fays  St.  Auftiij,  ‘  the  perfcn,  who 
‘  is  delivered  Irom  it,  may  learn,  what  he  too  mull' 
‘  have  fuffeied,  had  not  grace  ftept  in  to  his  relief. 
‘  And,  it  it  was  grace  that  interpofed,  it  could  not  be 
‘  the  reward  of  man’s  meiit,  but  the  tree  gift  ot  God’s 
‘  gratuitous  goodnefs.  Some,  however,  call  it  unjitfl  for 
‘  one  to  be  delivered  while  another,  though  no  more  guilty 
‘  than  the  former,  is  condemned :  if  it  be  jujl  to  pun'Jk 
‘  one,  it  would  be  but  juftioe  to  pun  if:  both.  I  grant,  that 
‘  both  might  have  been  juftly  punifhed.  Let  us,  there- 
‘  fore,  give  thanks  unto  God  our  Saviour,  for  not  in- 
‘  flifting  that  vengeance  on  us,,  which,  from  the  con- 
‘  demnation  of  our  fellow  finners,  we  may  conclude  to 
‘  have  been  our  defert,  no  lefs  than  theirs.  Had  they 
*  as  well  as  we,  been  ranfemed  from  their  captivity  ; 

‘  we  could  have  framed  but  little  conception  of  the 
4  penal  wrath,,  due,  in  itrifinefs  ofj  uft  ice,  to  fin  :  and,, 
‘  on  the  other  hand,  bed  none  of  the  fallen  race  been 
‘  ranfomed  and  fet  at  liberty;  how  could  divine 
‘  grace  have  difplayed  the  riches  of  its  liberality*  r’ 
The  fame  evangelical  Father  delivers  himfelf,  elfe- 

wherey 

*  £•  i  j  o  r»  S/r\t*  Piti1:.. 


C  1J7  ] 

where,  to  the  fame  effeid  :  ‘  Hence,’  fays  he,  4  ap- 
4  pears  the  greatnefs  of  that  grace,  by  which  fo  many 
4  are  freed  from  condemnation  :  and  they  may  form 
4  fome  idea  of  the  mifery,  due  to  themtelves,  from 
4  the  dreadfulnefs  of  the  punilhment  that  awaits  the 
4  red.  Whence,  thofe  who  rejoice,  are  taught  to  re- 
4  joice,  not  in  their  own  merits  ('quae  paria  ejje  evident 
4  damnatis ,  for  they  fee  that  they  have  no  more  Merit  than 
4  the  Damned)  but  in  the  Lord  *.’  Hence  refults, 

VI.  Another  reafon,  nearly  conne&ed  with  the 
former,  for  the  unreferved  publication  of  this  doc¬ 
trine,  viz.  That,  from  a  fenfe  of  God’s  peculiar,  eter¬ 
nal,  and  unalterable  love  to  his  people,  their  hearts 
may  be  enflamed  to  love  him  in  return.  Slender  indeed 
will  be  my  motives  to  the  love  of  God,  on  the  fuppo- 
iition  that  my  love  to  him  is  before  hand  with  His  to 
me  ;  and  that  the  very  continuance  of  his  favour, 
is  fufpended  on  the  weathercock  of  my  variable  will,  or 
the  flimfy  thread  of  my  imperfedt  affedfion.  Such  a  pre¬ 
carious,  dependent  love,  were  unworthy  of  God  ;  and 
calculated  to  produce  but  afcantyand  cold  reciprocati¬ 
on  of  love  from  man.— At  the  happied  of  times,  and 
in  the  bed  of  frames,  below  ;  our  love  to  God  is  but 
a  fpark  (though  fmall  and  quivering,  yet  inedimably 
precious,  becaufe  divinely  kindled,  fanned  and  main¬ 
tained  in  the  foul;  and  an  earned  of  better  to  come:) 
whereas,  love,  as  it  glows  in  God,  is  an  immenfe  Sun, 
which  (hone  without  beginning,  and  fhall  fhine  with¬ 
out  end.  Is  it  probable,  then,  that  the  fpark  of  hu¬ 
man  love  fhould  give  being  to  the  Sun  of  divine  ?  and, 
that  the  luftre  and  warmth  of  this,  fhould  depend  on 
the  glimmering  of  that  ?  yet,  fo  it  mud  be,  if  Pre- 
dedination  is  not  true  :  and  fo  it  mud  be  reprefented, 
it  prededination  is  not  taught.— Would  you  therefore, 
know  what  it  is,  to  love  God  as  your  Father,  Friend, 
and  Saviour ;  you  mud  fall  down  before  his  Electing 
Mercy.  ’Till  then,  you  are  only  hovering  about,  in 
qued  of  true  felicity.  But  you  will  never  find  the 
door,  much  lefs  can  you  enter  into  red,  ’till  you  are 

enabled 

*  De  Preded.  Samftor.  lib.  i.  cap.  q. 


t  ns-  ] 

enabled  “  to  love  Him  because  He  hath  first  loved 
“  you,”  i  John  iv.  19. 

This  being  the  cafe,  ’tis  evident,  that,  without 
taking  Predeftination  into  the  account,  genuine  mora¬ 
lity  and  the  performance  of  truly  Good  Works,  will 
fuffer,  ftarve,  and  die  away.  Love  to  God  is  the 
very  fuel  of  acceptable  obedience.  Withdraw  the 
fuel,  and  the  flame  expires.  But  the  fuel  of  holy  af¬ 
fection  (if  Scripture,  experience  and  oblervation,  are 
allowed  to  carry  any  conviction)  can  only  be  cheritbed, 
maintained,  and  increafed  in  the  heart,  by  tire  fenfe 
and  apprehenlion  of  God’s  predominating  love  to  us  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Now,  our  obedience  to  God  will  al¬ 
ways  hoid  proportion  to  our  love.  It  the  one  be  relax¬ 
ed  and  feeble,  the  other  cannot  be  alert  and  vigorous. 
And,  electing  goodnefs  being  the  very  lire  and  foul  of 
the  former;  the  latter,  even  good  works,  mu  ft 
flouriffi,  or  decline,  in  proportion  as  election  is 
glorified,  or  obfeured.  Hence  ariles  a 

Vllth  Argument  for  the  preaching  ot  Predcft’nation  : 
namely,  that,  by  it,  we  may'be  excited  to  the  practice 
of  univerfal  gediinefs.  The  knowledge  ot  God’s  love 
to  you,  will  make  you  an  ardent  lover  of  God  :  and, 
the  more  love  you  have  toGod  the  more  you  will  excel 
in  all  the  duties  and  offices  ot  love.— -Add  to  this,  that 
the  Scripture- view  of  Predeftination  includes  the 
means,  as  well  as  the  end.  Chriftian  Predeftinarians 
are  for  keeping  together  what  God  hath  joined.  He, 

.  who  is  for  attaining  the  end,  without  going  to  it  thro’ 
the  means ;  is  a  fell-deluding  Erithufiaff.  tie,  on  the 
other  hand,  who,  carefully  and  confcic  ntioully,  ufes 
the  means  of  falvation,  as  fteps  to  the  end  ;  is  the  true 
Calv  ir,ift.—  -Now,  eternal  liie  bung  that,  to  which  the 
debt  are  ultimately  deltined  ;  faith  (the  effect  of  laving 
grace)  and  fan&ificaticn  (the  effect  of  faith)  are  biei- 
fings,  to  which  the  debt  are  inrei  mediately'  appoint¬ 
ed.— “  According  as  he  hath  chofen  us  in  him,  be- 
“  fore  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we  ffould  be 
“  holy  and  without  blame  before  him  in  love,”  Eph. 
i.  4.  “  We  are  his  workmanffiip,  created  in  Chrift 

“  Jefus 


[  1 19  ] 


st  Jefusunto  Good  Works,  which  God  hath  before 
“  ordained,  that  we  fhould  walk  in  them,”  Eph.  ii. 
io.--“  Knowing,  brethren  beloved,  your  Election  of 
4‘  God  - Ye  became  followers  of  us  and  of  the 
“  Lord,”  i  Theil.  i.  4,  6.—“  God  hath  chofen  you 
“  to  Salvation  through  Sanctification  of  the 
“  Spirit  and  Belief  of  the  truth,”  2  ThelC  ii.  13.— 

Eledt,  according  to  the  foreknowlege”  [or,  Ancient 
Lo.ve]  “  of  God  the  Father,  through  fandfirication  of 
“  the  Spirit,  unto  Obedience,”  i  Pei.  i.  2. 

Nor  is  falvation  (the  appointed  end  of  election)  at 
all  the  lefs  fecure  in  itfelf  (but  the  more  fo)  for 
handing  neceflarily  connected  with  thele  intervening 
means ;  feeing,  both  thefe  and  that  are  infeparably 
joined,  in  order  to  the  certain  accomplilhment  of  that 
through  thefe.  It  only  demonitrates,  that  without  re¬ 
generation  of  heart  and  purity  of  life,  the  eledl  them- 
lelves  are  not  led  to  heaven.  But  then,  it  is  incon- 
teffable,  from  the  whole  current  ol  Scripture,  that 
thefe  intermediate  blellings  fnall  moft  infallibly  be 
vouchfafed  to  every  elect  perfon,  in  virtue  of  God’s 
ablblute  Covenant,  and  through  [the  effectual  agency 
of  His  almighty  Spirit.  Internal  fandlification  confti- 
tutes  our  meetnefs,  for  the  kingdom  to  which  vve 
were  predellinated ;  and  a  courfe  of  eternal  righteouf- 
mefs  is  one  of  the  grand  evidences,  by  which  we  make 
our  election  fure  to  our  own  prefent  comfort  and  ap- 
prehenfion  of  it*. 

VIII.  Unlels  Predeflination  be  preached,  we  fnall 
want  one  great  inducement  to  the  exereij'e  of  brotherly 
kindnefs  and  charity. 

When  a  converted  perfon  is  allured,  on  one  hand, 
that  all,  whom  God  hath  predellinated  to  eternal 
life,  lhall  infallibly  enjoy  that  eternal  life,  to  which 
they  were  chofen ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  when 
he  dilcerns  the  jigns  of  election,  not  only  in  himfelf, 

but 


-3 - ;  •  .ua 3- 

*  z  Pet.  i.  10.  “  Give  diligence  to  make  your  cal- 
“  ling  and  election  fure  ;”  i.  e.  to  get  l'oine  folid  and 
mconteftahle  evidence  ofyeur  predeflination  to  life. 


C  120  ] 

but  alto  in  the  reft  of  his  fellow-believers  ;  and  con¬ 
cludes,  from  thence  (as  in  a  judgment  of  charity, 
he  ought)  that  they  are  as  really  elected,  as  himfelf : 
how  muft  his  heart  glow  with  love  to  his  Chriftian 
brethren  !  How  feelingly  will  he  lympathize  with 
them,  in  their  diftrefles  !  How  tenderly  will  he  bear 
with  their  infirmities  !  How  readily  will  he  relieve  the 
former,  and  how  ehfily  overlook  the  latter  !— No¬ 
thing  will  fo  effectually  knit  together  the  hearts  of 
God’s  people,  in  time,  as  the  belief  of  their  having 
been  written,  by  name,  in  one  book  of  life,  from 
everlafting :  and  the  unfhaken  confidence,  of  their 
future  exaltation  to  one  and  the  fame  ftate  of  glory 
above,  will  occafion  the  ftrongeft  cement  of  affection 
below.— This  was,  poflibly,  one  end  of  our  Saviour’s 
fo  frequently  reminding  his  Apoftles,  of  their  election: 
namely,  that  from  the  fenfe  of  fuch  an  unfpeakable 
bleifing,  in  which  they  were  all  equally  interefted, 
they  might  learn  to  love  one  another ,  vjith  pure  hearts , 
fervently ;  and  cultivate,  on  earth,  that  holy  friend- 
fiiip,  which,  they  well  knew,  from  the  immutability  of 
God’s  decrees,  would  be  eternally  matured,  to  the 
higheft  perfection  and  refinement,  in  heaven.— St. 
Paul,  likewife,  might  have  feme  refpect  to  the  fame 
amiable  inference,  when,  treating  of  the  faints  collec¬ 
tively,  he  ufes  thofe  fweet  and  endearing  expreffions, 
“  he  hath  chofen  us  ;— he  hath  predeftinated  us,”&c. 
that  believers,  confidering  themfelves  as  co-elect  in 
Chrift,  might  be  led  to  love  ea^h  other  with  peculiar 
intenlenefs,  as  the  fpiritual  children  of  one  electing 
Father  ;  brethren  in  grace,  and  joint-heirs  of  glory.— 
Did  the  regenerate,  of  the  prefent  age,  but  practically 
advert  to  the  everlafting  nearnefs,  in  which  they  ftand 
related  to  each  other ;  how  happy  would  be  the 
effect  ! 

Hence  it  appears,  that,  fince  the  preaching  of  pre- 
deftination  is  thus  evidently  calculated  to  kindle  and 
keep  alive  the  two-fold,  con-genial  flame,  of  love  to 
God,  and  love  to  man  ;  it  muft,  by  neceftary  con- 
fequence,  conduce, 


To 


[  12  1  1 

To  the  advancement  or  univerf.il  obedience,  aqi 
to  th--  perro '.nance  ot  every  iocial  and  religious  duty*, 
which,  alone,  was  there  nothin  a  elie  to  recommend 
it,  would  be  a  fufficient  motive  to  the  public  deli¬ 
very  or  that  important  doctrine. 

IX.  Laftly,  without  a  due  fertfe  ot  predeftination, 
we  ihall  want  the  l'u  re  ft  and  the  molt  powerful  induce¬ 
ment  to  4  patience,  resignation,  and  dependence  on 
4  God,  under  every  Spiritual  and  temporal  addiction.’ 

How 

*  Our  excellent  Jdiihop  Davenant  inftances,  parti¬ 
cularly,  in  the  great  religious  duty  of  prayer.  4  The 
4  consideration  of  Election,’  fays  this  learned  and  evan¬ 
gelical  prelate,  4  doth  stir  up  the  faitiirui  to  conitan* 
4  cy  in  prayer  :  for,  having  learnt,  that  all  good,  tend- 
4  ing  to  Salvation,  is  prepared  tor  them  out  ot  God’j 
4  good  pleafure  ;  they  are,  hereby,  encouraged  to  call 
4  for,  and  as  it  were,  to  draw  down  from  heaven,  bv 
4  their  prayers,  thole  good  things,  which,  from  eteim- 

4  ty,  were  ordained  tor  the  elect. - Moreover,  the 

4  fame  Spirit  ot  adoption,  who  beareth  witness  to  our 
4  Spirit,  that  we  are  God’s  chofeii  children  ;  is  all’o  the 
4  fpir-it  ot  prayer  and  Supplication,  and  enflameth  our 
4  hearts  to  call  daily  upon  our  heavenly  Father.  T  ho  leg 
4  therefore,  who,  from  the  certainty  of  Predestination, 
4  do  pretend,  that  the  duty  of  prayed  is  fiipCrfluous ;  do 
4  plainly  Shew,  that  they  ate  fti  far  from  having  any 
4  certainty  ot  their  prSdeftination,  that  they  have  not 

4  the  leait  fenfe  thereof. - To  be  Slack  and  lluggiih  iu 

4  prayer,  is  not  the  property  of  tho'e,  who  by  the 
4  testimony  ot  God's  Spirit,  have  got  alfuiance  of  their 
4  election  :  but,  rather,  of  fitch  as  Have,  either  none,  or 
4  very  final!  apprehenfioit  thereof.  For,  as  Soon  as 
4  any  one,  by  believing,  doth  conceive  himl'elf  to  be 
4  one  of  God’s  deft  children  ;  he  earne.liy  adireth  vj 
4  procure  unto  himl’elf,  by  prayer,  thole  good  things 
4  which  he  believeth  that  God  prepared  for  his  chii- 
4  dren  before  the  ioundatioii  or  the  world.’  Bn.  jyr. 
venaut’s  Animadversions  on  an  Anninian  t'easife, 
&i  titled,  God’s  Love  to  .Mankind.  P.  529,  Sc  fcq. 


[  122  ] 

How  fweet  nr -ft  the  following  confideration  be,  to 
a  dillreft  believer  !  i.  There  moil  certainly  exifts  an 
Almighty,  All-wife,  and  infinitely  gracious  God. ---2. 
He  has  given  me,  in  times  pall,  and  is  giving  me  at 
prefent  (it  1  had  but  e}es  to  fee  it)  many  and  lignal 
intimations  of  his  love  to  me,  both  in  a  nay  of  provi¬ 
dence  and  grace. ---3.  This  love  of  his  is  immutable  ; 
he  never  repents  of  ft,  nor  withdraws  it. — 4.  Whatever 
comes  to  pal's  in  time,  is  the  refult  of  his  will  from 
everlafting.— Confequently,  3.  My  afflictions  were  a 
part  of  his  original  plan,  and  are,  all,  ordered,  in 
number,  weight  and  meafure.-— 6.  The  very  hairs  of 
my  head  are,  every  one,  counted  by  Him  :  nor  can  a 
imgle  hair  fall  to  the  ground,  but  in  conlequence  of 
his  determination.  Hence,  7.  My  difhelies  are  not 
the  refult  of  chance,  accident,  or  a  fortuitous  com¬ 
bination  of  circum  fiances  :  bur,  8.  The  providential 
eccoinplilhment  of  God’s  purpofe  ;  and  9.  Defigned  to 
anfvver  fome  wife  and  gracious  ends.  Nor,  10.  Shall 
my  affliction  continue  a  moment  longer,  than  God  fees 
meet.  11.  He,  who  brought  me  to  it,  has  promifed  to 
lupport  me  under  it,  and  to  carry  me  through  it.  12. 
All  fhall  moll  affuredly,  work  together  for  his  glory 
and  my  good.  Therefore,  13.  “  The  cup,  which 

“  my  heavenly  Father  hath  given  me  to  drink,  fflall  I 
not  drink  it  ?”  Yes  :  I  will  in  the  flrength  he  im¬ 
parts  even  rejoice  in  tribulation  ;  and,  tiling  the 
means  of  poffible  redrefs,  which  he  hath,  or  may  here¬ 
after,  put  into  my  hands,  I  will  commit  myft.'f  and. 
the  event  to  Him,  whofe  purpofe  cannot  be  over¬ 
thrown,  whole  plan  cannot  be  difconcerted,  and  who, 
whether  I  am  refigned  or  not,  will  ilill  go  on  to 
“  work  all  things  after  the  counfel  of  his  own  will*.” 


*  The  learned  Lipfnts  thus  writes  to  an  unmarried 
friend  who  appears  to  have  referred  himl'elf  to  his 
judgment  and  direCiion:  ‘  Sive  uxor  ducitur ,  five  emit - 
•  tit  nr,  &c.  Whether  you  many,  or  live  fingle,  you  will 
‘Ttill  have  fome  thing  or  other  to  moleft  you  ;  nor  does 

4  the 


[  1 23  ] 

Abore  all,  when  .he  {uttering  ■  hriftian  takes  Ins 
election  into  the  account  ;  and  knows,  that  he  was 

by 

4  the  whole  courfe  of  man’s  prelent  fublunary  life,  af- 
4  ford  him  a  tingle  draught  of  jov,  without  a  mixture 
4  of  wormwood  in  the  cup.  This  is  the  univerlai  and 
4  immutable  law  :  which  to  reiift,  were  no  lets  vain, 

*  than  fulfill  and  rebellious.  As  the  wreftlers  of  old 
4  had  their  rel'pective  antagonifts  affign  *d  them,  not  by 
4  their  own  choice,  but  by-necefiary  lot ;  in  like  man- 
4  ner,  each  of  the  human  race  has  his  peculiar  deftiny 
4  allotted  to  him  by  Providence.  To  conqiVer  this,  is  to 
4  endure  it.  All  our  flrength,  in  this  warfare,  is  to  un- 
4  dergo  the  inevitable  p  refill  re,  ’  I  is  vidtory,  to  yield 
4  ourfelves  to  fate’  Lipf.  Epill.  mifcelk  cent,  i.  ep.  44, 
Oper.  tom.  2.  p.  54.  Edit.  Vefaliens.  1675. 

About  two  years  after,  this  celebrated  chriflian  Se¬ 
neca  wrote,  as  follows,  to  the  fame  perfbn  (Theodore 
Leewius)  who  had  married,  and  jull  loft  his  wife  in 
childbed  :  4  Jam  fatum  quit  ?  AEtema ,  ab  aetcrno , 

4  in  actcrnum ,  Dei  lex  :  what  is  fate  ?  God’s  ever- 

*  lading  ordinance  :  an  ordinance,  fettled  in  eternity, 

*  and  for  eternity  :  an  ordinance,  which  he  can  never 
4  repeal,  difannul,  or  fet  afide,  either  in  whole  or  in 
4  part.  Now,  if  this  his  decree  be  eternal,  a  retro, 

4  and  immoveable,  quoad  futurum  ;  why  doth  fooiiih 
‘  man  ftrugcle  and  fmht  avainfl  that  which  muft  be  ? 

4  ilfpecially,  feeing  fate  is  thus  the  offspring  of  God, 

4  why  does  impious  man  murmur  and  complain  ?  you 
4  cannot,  juftly  find  fault  with  any  thing  determined 
4  or  done  by  Him,  sis  though  it  were  evil  or  fevere : 

4  for  he  is  ail  goodnefs  and  benevolence.  Was  you  to 

*  define  his  nature,  you  could  not  do  it  more  fuitably, 

4  than  in  thofe  terms.— Is,  therefore,  your  wife  dead  ? 

4  debait  :  ’tis  right  fhe  fhould  be  fo.  But  was  it  right , 

4  that  flee  Jhotdcl  die ,  and  at  that  very  time ,  and  by  that 
4  very  kind  of  death ,  ?  Moil  certainly.  I, ex  ita  lata  : 

4  the  decree  fo  ordained  it.  The  re: riel's  acumen  cf  the 
‘  human  mind  may  lift  and  canvais  the  appointments 

L  2  4  of 


C  *4  ] 

by  nn  cternalana  Immutable  aft  of  God,  “  appointed  to 
“obtain  falvation  through  our  Lord  Jefus  (Thrift  ;* 
that,  of  courie,  he  hath  “  a  city  prepared”  tor  him 
above,  “  a  building  or  God,  an  bottle,  not  made  with 
“  hands,”  blit  “  eternal  in  the  heavens  and  that  the 
heaviest  bufferings,  of  the  preffnt  life,  are  “  not  worthy 
“  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  fhall  be  re- 
“  vealed”  in  the  faints  what  adverfitv  can  poffibiy 
befal  us,  which  the  afiured  hope,  of  b tellings  like 
thefe,  will  not  infinitely  over  balance  ? 

*  A  comfort,  fo  divine, 

N  4  May  trials  well  endure.* 

However  keenly  affliftions  might  wound  us,  on  their 
fir  ft  aecefs  ;  yet,  under  the  imprefliqn  of  finch  animat¬ 
ing  views,  we  fhould  quickly  come  to  ourfelves  again, 
and  the  arrows  of  tabulation  would,  in  gieat  meafure, 
become  pointlefs.— Chriftians  want  nothing,  hut  abi'o- 
lute  refignation,  to  render  them  perfe&ly  happy,  in 

every 

<?====-!==£>- 

4  of  fate;  but  cannot  alter  them.  Were  tve  truly  wife, 
4  we  fhould  be  implicitly  fiut  millive,  and  endure,  with 
*  willingnefs,  what  wc  muff  endu.e,  whether  we  be 
4  willing  or  not.  A  due  fenfe  of  our  inability  to  re- 
4  verfe  the  difpofals  of  providence,  and  the  confequent 
4  vanity  of  refilling  them,  would  adminifler  lolid  lepofie 
‘  to  our  minds,  and  fheath,  if  not  remove,  the  anguifh 
4  of  afHiftion.  And  why  fhould  we  even  vvifh  to  refill? 
4  Fate’s  l'upreme  ordainer  is  not  only  the  all-wife  God, 
4  but  an  all-gracious  Father.  Embrace  every  event,  a» 
4  good  and  profperous ;  though  it  may,  for  the  prefient 
4  carry  an  alpebt  of  the  reverie.  Think  you  nor,  that 
4  he  loves  and  careth  for  us  ?  more  and  better  than 
4  vve  for  ourfelves.  But,  as  the  tenderell  parent  below, 
4  doth,  oftentimes,  crofs  the  inclinations  of  his  chil- 
4  dren,  with  a  view  to  do  them  good  ;  and  obliges 
4  them  both  to  do  and  to  undergo  many  things,  agamft 
‘  the  bent  of  their  wills  ;  fo  does  the  great  Parent  of 
‘  all.’  Ibid.  Epift.  6i.  p.  Sa. 


[  12$  ] 

every  poflible  circumftance  :  and  abfolute  relignation 
can  only  flow  from  an  abfolute  belief  of,  and  an  abfo¬ 
lute  acquiefcence  in,  God’s  abfolute  providence,  found¬ 
ed  on  abfolute  Predeftination,— ' The  Apoltle  himfelf 
draws  thefe  conclitlions  to  our  hand,  in  Rom  viii. 
where,  alter  having  laid  down,  as  moll  undoubted 
axioms,  the  eternity  and  immutability  of  God’s  pur- 
pofes,  he  thus  winds  up  the  whole  :  44  What  fnall  we 
“  fay,  then,  to  thefe  things?  if  God  be  for  us,  who 
44  can  be  againft  us  who  {hall  feparate  us  from  the 
“  love  of  Chrifl  ?  {hall  tribulation  or  diflrefs,  or  perfe- 
“  cution,  or  famine,  or  nakednefs,  or  peril,  or  fword  ? 
“  nay  :  in  all  thefe  things  we- are  more  than  conque- 
“  rors,  through  him  that  loved  us.” 

Such,  therefore,  among  others,  being  the  ufes,  that 
arife  from  the  faithful  preaching  and  the  cordial  recep¬ 
tion  of  Predeflination  ;  may  we  not  venture  to  affirm, 
with  Luther,  hac  ignorata  dodlrina,  neque fidem,  neque 
ullum  Dei  cultum  conjiftere  pojfe  ?  that  ‘  Our  faith  and 
‘  all  right  worffiip  of  God,  depend  in  no  finall  degree, 

*  upon  our  knowledge  of  that  dodfrine 

The  excellent  Melundthon,  in  his  firfl  common 
places,  (which  received  the  fandtion  of  Luther’s  ex- 
prefs  approbation),  does  in  the  firfl:  chapter,  which 
treats  profeflediy  of  Freewill  and  Predeftination,  fet 
out  with  clearing  and  eftablifhing  the  doctrine  of 
God’s  decrees ;  and,  then,  proceeds  to  point  out  the 
ntceflity,  and  manifold  ufefulnefs,  of  aflerting  and  be¬ 
lieving  it.  He  even  goes  fo  far,  as  to  affirm,  roundly, 
that  ‘  A  right  fear  of  God,  and  a  true  confidcRce  in 
4  him,  can  be  learned  more  aft'uredly,  from  no  other 
4  fource,  than  from  the  dodtrine  of  Predeftination.5 
But,  Melandthon’s  judgment  of  thefe  matters  will 
bell:  appear,  from  the  whole  paftage ;  which  the 
reader  will  find,  in  the  book  and  chapter  juft:  refer¬ 
red  to. 

4  Divina  Tredejlinatio ,’  favs  he,  44  Libcrtatem  ho- 
4  mini  aaimit  ;  Divine  Predeflination  quite  ftrips  man 
4  of  his  boafted  liberty  :  for,  all  things  come  to  pafs 
L  3  ,  according 

*  Dc  Scrvt  Abitr .  cap.  2Q, 


[  nfe  1 

*  according  to  God’s  fore-appointment ;  even  the  In- 

*  ternal  thoughts  ot  all  creatures,  no  lei's  than  their 

*  external  works.  Therefore,  Eph.  i.  the  Apoftle 
‘  gives  us  to  underhand,  that’  “  God  pertormeth  all 
“  things  according  to  the  counfel  of  his  own  will.” 
‘  And  our  Lord  himfelf  aiks,  Matth.  x.’  “  Are  not 
‘  two  fparrows  fold  tor  a  larthing  ?  yet  one  of  them 
4‘  falleth  not  to  the  ground,  without  your  Father.” 
‘  Pray,  what  can  be  more  lull  to  the  point,  than  fuch 

*  a  declaration  ?— -So,  Solomon,  Prov.  xvi.’  “  The 

Lord  hath  made  all  things  for  himfelf ;  yea,  even 
4‘  the  wicked  for  the  day  of  evil.”  ‘  And,  in  the 
1  xxth  chapter,’  “  Man’s  goings  are  of  the  Lord  : 

how  then  can  a  man  underhand  his  own  way  ?”  To 
‘  which  the  prophet  Jeremiah  does  alfo  fet  his  feal, 
‘  faying,  chapter  x.’  “  O  Lord,  I  know  that  the  way 
‘  ot  man  is  not  in  himfelf ;  it  is  not  in  man  that 
walketh,  to  direct  his  own  heps.”  ‘  The  hihorical 
part  of  Scripture  teaches  us  the  fame  great  truth.  So, 
4  Gen.  xv.  we  read,  that’  “  the  iniquity  ot  the  Amo- 
*L  rites  was  not  yet  full.”  ‘  In  i  Sam.  ii.  we  are  told 

*  that  Eli’s  fons  hearkened  not  to  his  reproof,’  “  be- 
*'•  caufe  the  Lord  #  would  hay  them.”  ‘  What  could 

*  bear  a  hronger  refemblance  to  chance  and  accident, 
‘  than  Saul’s  calling  upon  Samuel,  only  with  a  view  to 
4  feek  out  his  father’s  alfes  ?  (i  Sam.  ix.)  yet,  the  viiit 

*  was  tore-ordained  of  God,  and  deligned  to  anfwer  a 

*  purpofe  little  thought  of  by  Saul,  i  Sam.  ix.  i  j,  16/ 
[See  alfo  a  moh  remarkable  chain  ot  predehined  events, 
in  reference  to  Saul  and  foretold  by  the  prophet,  i 
Sam.  x.  2,  8.]  ‘  In  purfuance  of  the  divine  pre-ordina- 
'  tion,  there  went  with  Saul  a  band  of  men,’  “  whofe 
“  hearts  God  had  touched,”  i  Sam.  x.  26.  ‘  The 
4  harlhnefs  of  King  llehoboam’s  anfwer  to  the  ten 

*  tribes,  and  the  fubfequent  revolt  of  thofe  tribes  from 
‘  his  dominion,  are,  by  the  facred  hihorian,  ex- 
‘  prefsly  afcribed  to  God’s  decree  :’  “  wherefore  the 
“  King  hearkened  not  unto  the  people  ;  for  the  caufe 
“  was  fiorn  the  Lord,  that  he  might  perform  his  fay- 
“  ing  which  the  Lord  fpake,  by  Ahijali  the  Shilonite, 

“  unto 


C  127 

1  unto  Jeroboam  tbe  fon  of  Nebat,”  1  Kings,  xii.  i£. 
What  is  the  drift  of  the  Apodle  Paul,  in  the  9th 
and  1 1  th  of  Romans,  quam  ut  omnia ,  quae  fiunt,  in 
dejlinationem  divinam  referat  f  But  to  refolve  all 
things,  that  come  to  pais,  into  God’s  deltination  ? 
The  judgment  of  the  flefh,  or  of  mere  unregenerate 
reafon,  ufually  Harts  back  from  this  truth,  with  hor¬ 
ror  :  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  judgment  of  a  fpiri- 
tual  man  will  embrace  it  with  affection.  Neque  en'iM 
•vel  timorcm  Dei ,  vel  fiduciam  in  Dcum ,  certius ,  aliunde 
dijees ,  quam  ubi  imbueris  animum  hac  de  praedeftina- 
tione  fententia  :  You  will  not  i.earn,  either. 
THE  FEAR  OF  GoD,  OR  AFFIANCE  1 N  HlM, 
FROM  A  SURER  SOURCE,  THAN  FROM  GETTING 
YOUR  MIND  DEEPLY  TINCTURED  AND  SEASON¬ 
ED  WITH  THIS  DOCTRINE  OF  PREDESTI¬ 
NATION.  Does  not  Solomon,  in  the  book  of 
Proverbs,  inculcate  it,  throughout  ?  and  juftly  :  for 
how,  elfe,  could  he  direft  men  to  fear  God  and  trud 
in  him  ?  The  fame  he  does,  in  the  book  of  Eccle- 
fiades  :  nor  has  any  thing  fo  powerful  a  tendency  to 
reprefs  the  pride  of  man’s  encroaching  reafon,  and  to 
lower  the  fwelling  conceit  of  his  fuppofed  diferetion, 
as  the  firm  belief  quod  a  Deo  fiunt  omnia ,  that  all 
things  are  from  God.  What  invincible  com¬ 
fort  did  Christ  impart  to  his  difciples,  in  alluring 
them,’  “  that  their  very  hairs  were  all  numbered”  ‘  by 
the  Creator?  Is  there,  then  (may  an  objeftor  fay) 
no  fuch  thing  as  Contingency  ?  No  fuch  thing  as 
Chance  or  Fortune  ?---No.  Omnia  ncceffario  evenire 
Script urac  docent :  The  doctrine  of  Scripture  is,  that 
All  things  come  to  pass  necessarily.  Be 
it  fo,  that,  to  you,  fome  events  feem  to  happen  con* 
tingently  :  you,  neverthelefs,  mud  not  be  run  away 
with,  by  the  fuggedions  of  your  own  narroiv-fighted 
reafon.  Solomon,  himfelf,  the  wiled  of  men,  was  fo 
deeply  verfed  in  the  doctrine  of  infcrutable  Prededi- 
nation,  as  to  leave  this  humbling  maxim  on  record  ;’ 
‘  When  I  applied  my  heart  to  know  wifdom,  and  to 
4  fee  the  bufinefs  that  is  done  upon  the  earth  then 

“  I  beheld 


[  I2«  ] 

“  I  beheld  all  the  work  of  God,  that  a  man  cannot 
“  rind  out  the  work  that  is  done  under  the  fun  :  be- 
“  caufe,  though  a  man  labour  to  feek  it  out,  yet  he 
“  (hall  not  find  ;  yea,  further,  though  a  wife  man 
“  think  to  know  it,  yet  lhall  he  not  be  able  to  find  it,” 
Ecclef.  viii.  1 6,  17. 

Melancthon  profecutes  the  argument  much  far¬ 
ther  :  but  this  may  fulfice  for  a  fpecimen.  And,  it  is 
not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  Luther  fo  highly  ap¬ 
proved  of  Melandlhon’s  performance,  and  efpecially 
of  the  firfi  chapter  (from  whence  the  above  extraid  is 
given)  that  he  [Luther]  thus  writes  of  it,  in  his  epiftle 
to  Erafmus,  prefixed  to  his  book,  De  Serv.  Arb.  ‘  That 
‘  it  was  worthy  of  everlafting  duration,  and  to  be  re- 
‘  ceived  into  the  ecclefiaftical  canon.’  Let  it,  like- 
wife,  be  obferved,  that  Melanffhon  never,  to  the  very 
lafi,  retra&ed  a  word  of  what  he  there  delivers  :  which 
a  perfon  of  his  piety  and  integrity  would  moll  certain¬ 
ly  have  done,  had  he  afterwards  (as  fome  have  artfully 
and  falfely  infinuated)  found  realon  to  change  his  judg¬ 
ment  on  thefe  heads. 


A  N 


A  N 

APPENDIX 

CONCERNING  THE 

FATE 

OF  THE 

ANCIENTS 

l 

FROM  THE 

LATIN  of  JUSTUS  LIPSIU3. 


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APPENDIX 


CONCERNING  THE 


FATE  OF  THE  ANCIENTS*. 


fex^X^ATE,  (fays  Apuleius)  according  to 
fh.  -b  P'ato,  is  that,  Per  quod,  inevitables 

p  •sjjS'.jJ*  cogitationes  Dei  atque  incept  a  complen- 

*'*. ■$*  •$•.>!£  tur  ;  ‘  whereby  the  purpofes  and  de- 

fS.  .? It  ‘  figns  of  God  are  accomplilhed,* 

^  Hence,  the  Platonics  confidered  Pro¬ 

vidence,  under  a  three-told  diftindtion  :  i.  The  Provi- 
dentia  prima ,  or  that  which  gave  birth  to  all  eftedts  ; 
and  is  defined  by  them,  to  be  ‘  The  intention,  or  will 
‘  of  the  Supreme  God.’  2.  The  Provident ia  fecunda , 
or  actual  agency  or  the  fecondary  or  inferior  beings, 
who  were  fuppofed  to  pervade  the  heavens,  and  from 
thence,  by  their  influence,  to  regulate  and  difpofe  of  all 
fublunary  things  ;  and,  efpeciaily,  to  prevent  the  ex¬ 
tinction  of  any  one  fpecies  below.  3.  The  Providentia 
tertia,  fuppofed  to  be  exerted  by  the  genii  ;  whofe 
office  it  was,  to  exercife  a  particular  care  over  man¬ 
kind  :  to  oruard  our  perfons,  and  diredt  our  adtions. 

But 

*  Vide  Lipsii  Phyliolog.  Stoic,  lib.  x.  DifTert.  xii. 


[  132  ] 

Eat  the  Stoicat,  view  of  Providence,  or  Fate, 
tVas  abundantly  more  iimpie,  and  required  no  iuch 
nicety  of  difiinction.  Theie  Philofophers  did,  at  once, 
derive  all  the  chain  of  cauj'es  and  f  ids,  from  their  true 
and  undoubted  fource ,  the  will  ot  the  one  living 
and  true  God.  Hence,  with  thefe  Sages,  the  words 
Deity,  Fate,  Providence,  were  frequently  reciprocated, 
as  terms  fynonymous.  Thus,  Seneca,  lpeaking  of 
(God;  ‘  Will  you  call  him  Fate  ?  You  will  call  him 
4  rightly  :  for  all  things  are  fulpended  on  him.  Him- 
4  felt  is  can  fa  caufarum ,  the  caufe  ot  causes  bolide.* 
The  laws  ot  the  univerle  are  from  God  ;  whence 
the  lame  Philofopher,  elfewhere,  obferves,  Omnia  cer- 
ta ,  eS5  in  acternum  did  a.  Lege  dccurrere  ;  4  All  things  go 
4  on,  according  to  a  certain  rule,  or  decree,  ordained 
4  tor  ever  meaning  the  law  ot  Fate.  So  Cicero  : 

4  All  things  come  to  pals,  according  to  the  iovereignty 
4  ot  the  eternal  law.’  And  Pindar,  probably,  had  an 
eye  to  this,  where  he  lays,  4  That  the  law  ruleth  all, 

4  whether  gods  or  mortals.’  Manlius  molt  certainly 
had : 

Sed  nihil  in  tota  ntagis  ejl  mi  rah  lie  mole, 

Lfuam  Ratio,  isf  certis  quod  Legibus  omnia  parent . 


Where,  by  Ratio,  is  evidently  meant,  the  decreeing 
w/w/  ot  Gud  ;  and,  by  Leges,  is  meant  Fate,  or  that 
fei  ies  of  caufes  and  e debts,  which  is  the  offspring  of 


his  decree. 

Homer  cannot  begin  his  Iliad,  without  aliening 
this  grand  truth  :  4  The  counlel  or  decree  ot  Jupiter 
4  was  fulfilled/  The  divine  poet  fets  out  upon  this  ex¬ 
alted  principle  :  he  puts  it  in  the  front  ot  the  nobieli 
poem  in  the  world,  as  a  tellimony  both  ot  his  u  idem 
and  his  faith.  ’Twas  as  it  he  had  laid,  4  I  lhall  ling  ot 
4  numberlefis  events,  equally  grand,  entertaining,  and 
4  important :  but  I  cannot  begin  to  unfold  them,  with- 
4  cut  laying  down  this,  as  a  iirfi,  lundameniai  axiom, 
4  That,  though  brought  to  cals  by  the  infirumen- 
*  .■ ol  men,  they  v.  ut  the  fruit  ot  Gods 


.  [  T33  3 

*  determining  will,  and  of  his  all  directing  pro* 

‘  vidence.’ 

Neither  are  thofe  minuter  events,  which,  feeming*. 
ly,  are  the  remit  of  chance,  excluded  from  this  law. 
Even  thefe  do  not  happen,  but  come  to  pafs,  in  a  re¬ 
gular  order  of  fucceffion,  and  at  their  due  period  of 
time.  4  Caufa  pendet  ex  caufa :  privata  ac  publica 
‘  longus  ordo  rerum  t  rah  it,’  lays  Seneca  ;  1  Caufe  pro- 
‘  ceeds  from  caufe  :  the  long  train  of  things  draws 
‘  with  it  all  events,  both  public  and  private.’  Excel¬ 
lent  is  that  of  Sophocles  ;  (Aj.  Flagell.)  4  I  am 

*  firmly  of  opinion,  that  all  thefe  things,  and  what- 
4  ever  elle  befal  us,  are  in  confequence  of  the 
4  divine  purpoie  :  Wholo,  thinks  otherwile,  is  at 
‘  liberty  to  follow  his  own  judgment  ;  but  this  will 
4  ever  be  mine.’ 

The  Longus  ordo  rerum ,  mentioned  by  Seneca,  is 
what  he  el  lew  he  re  ftiles,  Caufarum  implexa  /cries,  or  a 
perpetual  implication  of  cauies.  This,  according  to 
Laertius,  was  called  by  the  Stoics,  an  involved,  ol* 
concatenate  caujality ,  of  whatever  has  any  exiftence  : 
Agreeably  to  this  idea,  Cryfippus  gives  the  following 
definition  of  Fate  :  ‘  Fate  is  that  natural,  eftablilhed 
‘  order  and  conftitution  of  all  things,  from  everlafting, 
‘  whereby  they  mutually  follow  upon  each  other,  incon- 
‘  fequenceot  an  immutable  and  perpetual  complication.* 

Let  us  examine  this  celebrated  definition  of  fate.  i. 
He  calls  it  a  NAtURAL_/j«tofi  :  meaning  by  Nature, 
the  great  Natura  Prima ,  or  God  :  for,  by  fome 
Stoics,  God  and  Nature  are,  ufed  promifcuoufly. 
But,  becaufe  the  Deity  mull  be  luppoled  both  to 
decree  and  to  aft  with  wifdom,  intelligence,  and  de- 
fign ;  Fate  is  lometimes  mentioned  by  them  under 
the  name  of  reafon.  Thus  they  define  Fate  ( Lacrt .  in 
Zen.)  to  be  that  fupreme  ‘  Reafon,  whereby  the  world 
‘  is  governed  and  direfted,’  or,  more  minutely,  thus  ; 
4  That  reafon,  whereby  the  things  that  have  been, 
4  were  ;  the  things  that  now  are,  have  at  prefent  ex* 
4  iftence  ;  and  the  things  that  are  to  be,  lhall  be. 
Reafon,  you  fee,  or  vvifdom,  in  the  DeiVy,  is  an 
M  antecedent 


[  *34  1 

antecedent  .caufe,  from  whence  both  Providence  and 
inferior  Nature  are  derived.  ’Tis  added,  in  Stobea- 
us,  that  Chrylippus  fonretimes  varies  his  terms  ; 
sard,  inltead  or  tne  word  reafon  fubftitutes  the  words 
truth ,  caufe ,  nature ,  necejjtty  :  intimating  that  Fate,  is 
the  true,  natural,  neceiiary  caufe  of  the  things  that 
•are,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  they  are.— 2.  This 
Fate  is  faid  to  be  from  everlafting.  Nor  improperly  : 
iince  the  conftitution  of  things,  was  fettled  and  fixed 
in  the  divine  mind  (where  they  had  a  iort  of  ideal 
exiftence)  previous  to  their  adlual  creation :  and 
therefore,  coniidered  as  certainly  future,  in  his  decree, 
may  be  faid  to  have  been,  in  fome  fenfe,  co-eternal 
with  himfelf.— 3.  The  immutable  and  perpetual  com¬ 
plication,  mentioned  ill  the  definition,  means  no  more, 
than  that  reciprocal  involution  of  caufes  and  effefts, 
from  God  downwards,  by  which  things  and  events 
fofitus  omnibus  ponendis ,  are  neceflarily  produced,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  plan  which  infinite  wifdom  defigned 
from  the  beginning.  God,  the  Firfb  Caufe,  hath 
given  being  and  adiivity  to  an  immenfe  number  of 
Secondary,  lubaltern  caufes ;  which  are  fo  infeparably 
linked  and  interwoven  with  their  refpedtive  effedis  (a 
cpnnedlion  truly  admirable,  and  not  to  be  compre¬ 
hended  by  man  in  his  prefent  fiate)  that  thofe  things 
which  do,  in  reality,  come  to  pafs  neceffarily,  and  by 
inevitable  defliny  ;  feem  to  the  fuperficial  obferver,  to 
come  to  pafs  in  the  common  courl'e  of  nature,  or  by 
virtue  of  human  reafoningand  freedom.  This  is  that 
infcrutable  method  of  divine  wifdom,  ‘  A  qua  (fays  St. 
Auftin)  ejl  otnnis  modus ,  cmnis  fpecies ,  omnis  erdo , 
menfura ,  numcrus ,  pondus  ;  a  qua  funt  femitia  forma- 
rum ,  fortnae  feminum ,  tnodus  feminum  atque  formarum. 

Necessity  is  the  confequence  of  Fate.  So  Trifme- 
giftus.  *  All  things  are  brought  about  by  Nature  and 

*  by  Fate:  neither  is  anyplace  void  of  providence. 
‘Now  providence  is  the  felf-perftdf  reafon  of  the 

*  fuper-celeflial  God;  from  which  reafon  of  his,  ifTue 
4  two  native  pow'ers,  Necelfity  and  Fate.’  Thus,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  wifer  Heathens,  effects  were  to  be 

traced 


['r3£  1 

traced  up  to  their  producing  caufes  ;  thofe  producing 
cattles  were  to  be  farther  traced  up  to  the  ifill  higher 
caufes,  by  which  they  were  produced;  and  thole  higher 
caufes  to  God,  the  caufe  or  them.  Perfons,  things, 
circum dances,  events,  and  confequence?,  are  the  effedls 
of  Necessity:  Neceffity  is  the  daughter  of  Fate: 
Fate  is  the  offspring  of  God’s  infinite  Wifdom  and 
Sovereign  Will.  Thus,  all  things  are  ultimately  re- 
folved  into  their  great  Primary  Caufe  ;  by  whom  the 
chain  was  originally  let  down  from  heaven,  and  on- 
whom  every  link  depends. 

It  mud  be  owned,  that  all  the  fatal  ills  of  antiqui¬ 
ty  (particularly  among  the  Stoics)  did  not  condantlyex- 
prefs  themfelves  with  due  prccilion.  A  Chriftian,  who 
is  favingly  taught  by  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God,  mull 
be  pained  and  dilgufted,  not  to  fay,  (hocked  ;  when 
he  reads  fuch  an  aflertion  as  this  :  ‘  God  himfelf  can- 
‘  not  poffibly  avoid  his  dediny,’  (Herodot.  i.)  or  that 
of  Philemon  : 

4  Common  men  are  fervants  to  Kings ;  Kings  are 
4  fervants  to  the  Gods,  and  God  is  a  lervant  to  necef- 
‘  fity.’  So  Seneca  :  Eadem  necejfitas  &  Decs  alligat  : 
irrevoealilis  divina  pariter  atqtte  bumana  curfus  ‘Debit* 
III"  ipfe ,  oitinium  condi  tor  ac  verier,  Jcripjtt  quidein  Fatct , 
fed  fcquitur .  Semper  par et :  Seniel  jifjit .  4  The  feif-fams 
4  neceflity  binds  the  Gods  themfelves.  All  things  di- 
‘  vine  as  well  as  human,  are  carried  forward  by  one 
4  identical  and  overpowering  rapidity.  The  fupreme 
4  Author  and  Governor  of  the  univerfe  hath,  indeed, 

4  written  and  ordained  the  Fates  ;  but  having  once  or- 
4  duined  them,  he  ever  after  obeys  them.  He  com- 
‘  manded  them  at  fird,  for  once  :  but  his  confirm ity 
4  to  them  is  perpetual.’  This  is,  without  doubt,  very 
irreverently  and  very  iacautioufly  expreiled.— Whence 
it  has  been  common  with  many  chridian  writers,  to 
tax  the  Stoics  with  fetting  up  a  find  caufe,  iuperior 
to  God  himfelf,  and  on  which  he  is  dependent. 

But,  I  appreherid,  thefe  Phiiofophers  meant,  in  rea¬ 
lity,  no  fuch  thing.  All  they  defigned  to  inculcate, 
was,  4  That  the  will  of  God,  and  his  decrees,  are  un- 
4  changeable  :  That  there  can  be  no  alteration  in  the 
M  2  Divine 


(  J36  ) 

‘  Divine  intention  ;  no  new  ad  arife  in  his  mind  ; 
no  rcverfion  ot  his  eteinal  plan  :  All  being  founded 
in  adorable  Sovereignty  ;  ordered  by  infallible  VI  if. 
‘  dom  ;  ratified  by  Omnipotence  ;  and  cemented  with 
‘  Immutability.’  Thus  Lucan  : 

Flnxit  in  acternum  cattfas  ;  qua  cunSla  cocrcct , 

Se  quoque  lege  tenens » 

And  this, not  through  any  imbecillity  inGod,or  as  if  he 
was  fubjeff  to  fate,  ot  which  (on  the  contrary)  himfelf 
was  the  ordainer;  but  becaufe  it  is  his  pleafure  to  abide 
by  his  own  decree.  For,  as  Seneca  obferves,  Imminutio 
majejlatisjit,& confejfio  err  oris,  mutandafecijje.  NceejJ'eeji  ci 
eadem placer e,  cut  niji optima placerenon  prJJ'unf.  ‘  ’Twould 

*  detract  from  the  greatnefs  of  God,  and  look  as  if 
‘  he  acknowledged  himfelf  liable  to  miflakes,  was  he 
‘  to  make  changeable  decrees  :  his  pleafure  mult  ne- 
‘  cefl'arily  be  always  the  fame  ;  feeing,  that  only  which 
‘  is  belt,  can,  at  any  time,  pleafe  an  all-perfed  being. 

‘  A  good  man,’  (adds  this  Philofopher)  ‘  is  under  a 

*  kind  of  pleafing  neceflity  to  do  good  ;  and,  if  he  did 

*  not  do  it,  he  could  not  be  a  good  man.’ 

Magnum  hoc  argumentum  cji  jirmae  voluntatis ,  ne 
rnutare  quidem pojje  ;  ‘  ’Tis  a  finking  proof  of  a  mag- 

*  nanimous  will,  to  be  abfolutely  incapable  of  chang- 

*  ing.’  And  fuch  is  the  will  of  God :  it  never  fiudtu- 
ates  nor  varies,  But,  on  the  other  hand,  was  he  fuf- 
ceptible  of  change ;  could  he,  through  the  interven¬ 
tion  of  any  inferior  caufe,  or  by  fome  untoward  com¬ 
bination  of  external  circumftances,  be  induced  to  re¬ 
cede  from  his  purpofe,  and  alter  his  plan  ;  ’twould  be 
a  moll  inconteilible  mark  of  weaknefs and  dependence: 
the  force  of  which  argument  made  Seneca,  though 
a  heathen,  cry  out,  Non  externa  Deos  cogunt  ;  fed Jua 
illis  in  legem  aeterna  voluntas  cjl  :  ‘  Outward  things 
4  cannot  compel  the  Gods  ;  but  their  own  eternal  will 

is  a  law  to  themfelves.’  It  may  be  objected,  that 
*his  feems  to  infer,  as  if  the  Deity  was  llill  under  fome 
d  of  reftraint.  By  no  means.  Let  Seneca  obviate 

this 


(  W  ) 

this  cavil  :  as  he  effectually  does,  in  thefe  admit, 
able  words :  A Tec  Deus  ab  hoc  minus  liber  aut  potcns 
eft ;  ipfe  enim  eft  ncccjfitas  fua\  ‘  God  is  not,  hereby, 
‘  either  lefs  free,  or  lefs  powerful ;  for  he  himfelf  is 
‘  his  own  necefiity.’ 

On  the  whole,  it  is  evident,  that,  when  the  Stoics 
fpeak,  even  in  the  ftrongell  terms,  ot  the  obligation  of 
Fate  on  God  himfelf,  they  miy  and  ought  to  be  un- 
derftood,  in  a  fenfe  worthy  of  the  adorable,  uncreated 
Majefty.  In  thus  interpreting  the  doctrine  of  Fate,  as 
taught  by  the  genuine  Philofophers  of  the  Portico,  I 
have  the  great  St.  Auftin  on  my  fide  :  who,  after  can- 
vaffing,  andjutlly  rejecting,  the  baftard,  or  aftrological 
Fate ;  thus  goes  on:  At  qui  omnium  conneBionem  fieri- 
eniiiue  caufarum ,  qua  fit  omne  quod  fit ,  Fati  nomine  ap  - 
pcllant ;  non  Mult  ion  cum  eis ,  de  verbi  controveifia ,  cer- 
tandunt  atque  laborandum  efi  :  quandoquidem  ipjuni  can * 
Jarum.  ordinem ,  &  quandam  conneBionent,  fiummi  Dei  tri- 
buunt  ’voluntati :  i.  e.  ‘  But  for  thole  Philofophers, 
[meaning  the  Stoics]  who,  by  the  word  Fate,  mean, 
‘  That  regular  chain,  and  feries  of  caufes,  to  which  al! 

*  things  that  come  to  pafs,  owe  their  immediate  exift* 

*  ence  ;  we  will  not  earneftly  contend  with  thefe  per- 

*  fons,  about  a  mere  term:  and  we  the  rather  acqui- 
‘  efce  in  their  manner  of  expreffion,  becaufe  they  care- 
‘  fully  afcribe  this  fixt  fucceffion  of  things,  and  thist 

*  mutual  concatenation  of  caufes  3nd  effeds,  to  the  will 
‘  of  the  Supreme  God.’  Auftin  adds  many  obferva- 
tions,  of  the  fame  import ;  and  proves,  from  Seneca 
himfelf,  as  rigid  a  Stoic  as  any,  that  this  was  the  doc- 
trine  and  the  meaning  of  his  philofophic  brethren. 


A  LETTER 


A 


LETTER 

TO  THE 

Rev.Mr.  JOHN  WESLE  Y: 

relative  to  his  pretended 
ABRIDGEMENT  of 

Z  AN  CHIUS  on  Predestination. 

By  AUGUSTUS  TOP  LADY,  A.  B. 
Vicar  of  Broad  Hembury,  Devon  ;  and  Chap¬ 
lain  to  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Holland. 

The  SECOND  EDITION, 

CONSIDERABLY  enlarged. 


Sic.  fatus  fenior ,  'Telumque  imhelle  Jinc  ISlu 
Conjecit  :  rauco  quod protinus  atrt  rcpulfum  ; 

Et  fummo  Clypei  nequicquam  Umbonc  pependit. 

zEneid  II. 

Creduli  tats ,  puer ;  j iudacia,  juvenis  ;  Delirius ,  fenex . 

Mr.  De  Boze’s  Epitaph  on  Hardovin,  the  French  Jefuit. 


c 


advertisement 

TO  THE 


PRESENT  EDITION, 


I N  E  months  are  now  elapfed,  fincer 
the  firft  publication  of  this  letter  :  in 
all  which  time,  Mr.  W ,  has  neither 
apologized  for  the  mifdemeanor  which 
occasioned  his  hearing  from  me  in 
this  public  manner  ;  nor  attempted  to  anfwer  the 
charge  entered  again#  him.  Judging,  probably,  that 
the  former  would  be  too  condefcending,  in  one,  who 
has  ere<5led  himfelf  into  the  leader  of  a  feet ;  and  that 
the  latter  would  prove  rather  too  difficult  a  talk,  and 
involve  him  in  a  firbfequent  train  of  frelh  deteftions  ; 
he  has,  prudently,  omitted  both. 

Some  of  his  followers,  however,  have  not  been  fo 
tamely  unaffive,  on  this  occaiion,  as  their  Pallor, 
Anxious,  at  once,  to  palliate  his  offence,  and  to  icreen 

his 


N 


C  1 

his  timidity;  feveral  Penny  and  Two-Penny  Defences 
have  fuccdfively  appeared :  wherein  the  anonymous 
feribblers  wretchedly  endeavoured  to  gather  up,  and 
put  together,  the  fragments  of  a  (hattered  reputation. 
The  very  Printers,  the  Midwives  who  handed  thcfe 
1  Infers  of  a  day*  into  public  exigence,  were  aflvamed 
to  fubjoin  their  names  at  the  bottom  of  the  Title 
Pages. 

Two  Lay-Preachers,  in  particular,  have  feebly  taken 
up  the  cudgels  for  their  matter.  Of  one,  I  ihall  fay 
very  little,  as  he  writes  with  fome  degree  of  decency.— 
Of  the  other,  I  fhall  not  fay  much  :  for,  both  his 
talents  and  his  morals  fink  him  far  below  the  dignity 
of  chaftifement.  This  illiterate  ‘  Haberdalher  of  fmall 
‘  wares’  entitles  his  Penny  ettufion,as  well  as  I  remem¬ 
ber,  ‘  A  letter  of  thanks  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Topla- 
*  dy,  in  the  names  of  all  the  hardened  finners  in  L011- 
‘  don  and  Weftmintter.’  The  poor  creature,  it  is  plain 
from  his  Title-Page,  aims  at  humour  :  and  yet  unhap¬ 
pily  for  fuch  a  deiign,  he  is  in  reality,  but  too  literally 
qualified  to  aft  as  a  Secretary  in  Chief  to  the  finners 
of  London  and  Wefiminller.  For,  he  has  given  very 
numerous  and  ample  proofs  of.  his  own  finnerfl.ip,  and 
that  there  can  hardly  exifi,  in  thofe  two  cities,  a  more 
atrocious  firmer  than  himfelf.  I  will  notpollute  this 
paper,  with  a  recital  of  his  crimes.  They,  who  know 
the  man,  are  no  ftrangers  to  his  communication. 
Though  a  doctrinal  Pharilee,  his  life  has,  long  ago, 
evinced  him  a  practical  Sadducee.  Surely,  Arminia- 
nifrn,  is  like  to  flourifh  mainly,  under  the  aufpices  of 
fuch  able  and  virtuous  Advocates  1 


And 


[  H  3  1 

And  fo  much  for  Mr.  Weliey’s  redoubtable  Subal¬ 
terns. 

*  What  image  of  their  fury  can  we  form  ? 

‘  Dullnefs  and  rage.  A  Puddle  in  a  Storm.’ 

If  my  advice  carries  any  weight  with  them,  they 
will  carefully  perule  their  Spelling-books,  before  they 
make  another  Tally  from  the  prefs.  As  to  themfelves, 
and  their  refined  productions,  I  mean  to  take  no  far¬ 
ther  notice  of  either.  I  am  quite  of  Mr,  Gay’s 
opinion  ; 

£  To  fhoot  at  crows  is  powder  thrown  away.’ 

I  had  almoft  forgot  the  Monthly  Reviewers.  One 
word  concerning  them,  and  I  have  done.  The  two 
Reverend  Gentlemen,  who  are  hired  to  difiedt  and 
characterize  whatever  comes  within  the  divinity  de¬ 
partment,  a  Calendis  ad  Calendas  ;  would  fain  have  it, 
in  their  fuperficial  ftridtures  on  the  lirft  edition  of  this 
letter,  that  I  am  angry  with  Mr.  Wefley.  If,  by 
anger,  the  ingenious  Animadverters  mean,  a  juil  and 
becoming  difapprobation  of  Mr.  Wefley ’s  lying 
abridgement,  and  of  the  furreptitious  manner,  in 
which  he  fmuggled  it  into  the  world;  I  ackowledge 
myfelf,  in  this  refpebt,  angry.  1  hope,  the  Reverend 
Reviewers  will  not  in  their  turn,  be  angry  too,  at  fee¬ 
ing  themfelves  tacked  to  the  lift  of  Mr.  Wefley’s  allies : 
iince  in  their  mode  of  reprefenting  my  difpute  (or,  to 
adopt  their  own  millitary  term,  my  battle)  with  that 
Gentleman ;  they  feein  to  rank  themfelves  in  the 
.number  of  his  feconds.  The  reafon  is  obvious.  Mr. 

W.  is 


C  *44  3 

W.  is  a  red-hot  Arminian  :  and  the  fagacious  Dodlors 

can  difcern,  with  halt  an  eye,  that  Arminanifm  lies 

within  a  bow-lhot  of  Socinianiim  and  Deifm.  Yet 

notwithflanding  the  alliance  is,  thus,  not  altogether 

unnatural  ;  why  fliould  thefe  two  Divines,  who  are, 
* 

certainly,  poffefled  ot  abilities,  which  might  do  honour 
to  human  nature  ;  by  a  narrow,  fordid  attachment  to 
party,  render  thofe  abilities  lefs  refpebtable  ? 


Broad  Hemeury, 
January  9,  1772. 


A  LETTER 


A 


L  E 


T 

T  E 

-  R 

O 

T  H  E 

Rev.  Mr.  J  O  H  N  WES  L  E  Y. 


S  I  R, 

^  ■$?  OS  S  I  B  L  Y,  the  following  letter 

^  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  fbme, 

|&  8  §  (i|  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  me- 

I  ^  1  ^  L  rits  of  the  occafion  on  which  I 

s>  ii  |  j%  write.  Forthe  information  of  fueh, 

W.  I  inuft  premife,  That,  in  Novem- 

her,  1769,  I  publiflied  a  Two  Shil¬ 
ling  pamphlet,  entitled,  ‘  The  Do&rine  ot  Abiolute 
4  Predestination  flated  and  aflerted  :  With  aprelimina- 
‘  ry  Difcourfe  on  the  Divine  Attributes.  Tranfiated, 
‘  in  great  meaiure,  from  the  Latin  of  Jerom  Zan- 
4  chins.’ 

Though  you  are  neither  mentioned,  nor  alluded  to, 
throughout  the  whole  book  ;  yet  it  could  hardly  he 
N  imagined  * 


[  M6  ] 

imagined,  that  a  treatife,  apparently  tending  to  lay 
the  axe  to  the  root  of  thole  pernicious  ocCtrines, 
which,  lor  more  than  thirty  years  pail,  you  have  en¬ 
deavoured  to  palm  on  your  credulous  followers,  with 
all  the  fophifhy  of  a  Jeiuit,  and  the  dictatorial  authori¬ 
ty  of  a  Pope  ;  fl'.ouhl  long  pal’s  without  feme  eenlure 
from  the  hand  of  a  redlefs  Arminian,  wlio^has  fo  eager¬ 
ly  endeavoured  to  diftinguifh  hiinl'elf,  as  the  Bell- 
Wether  of  his  deluded  thousands. 

Accordingly,  in  the  month  of  March,  1770,  out 
fneaks  a  printed  paper  (confiding  of  one  fleet,  folded 
into  twelve  pages ;  price  one  penny)  entitled,  ‘  The 
‘  DoCtrine  of  Abfolute  Predeftination  dated  and  afiert- 

i  ed,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  A .  T . Wherein,  you 

pretend  to  give  an  abridgement  of  the  pamphlet  above 
referred  to.  Bur, 

I.  Why  did  you  not  male  your  abridgement  truly 
public  ?  For  an  apparent  reafon  :  That,  it  poflible,  it 
might  elude  my  knowledge,  and  fo  efcape  the  rod. 
Born  of  a  dclen  embrace,  it  was  needful  for  the  fpuri- 
QLis,  pufillanimous  performance  to  deal  its  way  into 
the  world.  It  privately  crept  abroad,  from  the  Foun- 
ciery,  the  feat  of  its  nativity  ;  it  was  fold,  indeed,  but 
fold  under  the  rofe;  it  was  carefully  circulated  in  the 
dark  ;  and  the  friends  of  Mr.  Wefley  were  defigned 
to  be  the  foie  fphere  of  its  acquaintance.  Thus, 
“  Every  one,  that  doth  evil,  hateth  the  light,  neither 
“  cometh  to  the  light,  led  his  deeds  frould  he  reprov- 
“  ed.”  I11  fuch  conduit,  I  can  difeern  much  of  the 
Jefuit,  but  nothing  of  the  faint.— -I  had,  to  this  hour, 
remained  unapprized  of  the  feeret  dab,  but  for  the 
information  received  from  feme  of  fuperior  integrity  to 
yourfelr.--  I  will  put  Chriilianity  quite  out  of  the 
quedion,  and  fuppofc  it  to  have  no  kind  of  influence. 
But  (hould  you  not,  at  lead,  act  as  a  man  of  common 
honour  ?  Come  forth  openly,  Sir,  in  future  like  an 
honed,  generous  AlTailant ;  and,  from  this  moment 
forward,  difdain  to  act  the  ignoble  part  of  a  lurking, 
tty  Aflaffin. 


II.  Why 


[  *47  ] 

IF.  Why  did  you  not  abridge  me  Faithfully  and  thir¬ 
ty  ■  mult  you  lard  your  ridiculous  Compen¬ 

dium  with  Additions  and  Interpolations  of  your  own  ? 
especially,  as  you  took  the  liberty  of  prefixing  my 
name  to  it  ?  Your  reafcins  are  obvious.  My  publica¬ 
tion  had  fpread  among  (ome  of  your  people  :  and,  the 
longer  it  continued  to  diffufe  itfelf,  the  more  you 
trembled  toF  your  Diana.  Hence,  Demetrius  like, 
you  found  it  needful,  by  the  help  of  a  pious  Fraud, 
to  prejudice  your  Epheiians  again!!  the  dodtrines  of 
St.  Paul.  The  book  was  like  to  give  the  Arminian 
Babel  a  (hake  :  therefore,  no  way  lb  effectual  to  fecure 
it,  as  by  endeavouring  to  (pike  the  camion  which  was 
planted  again  11  it.  That  you  might  feem  to  gratify 
the  curiouty  of  your  partifans,  and  keep  them  really 
hood-winked  at  the  fame  time  ;  you  draw  up  a  fiimfy, 
partial  Compendium  of  Zanchius  :  a  Compendium 
which  exhibits  a  few,  detached  propofitions,  placed 
in  the  moft  difadvantageous  point  of  view,  and 
without  including  any  part  of  the  evidence  on  which 
they  (land. 

But  this  alone  was  not  fufficient  to  compafs  the  de'- 
fired  end.  Unfatisfied  with  carefully  and  totally  fup- 
prelling  every  proof,  alledged  by  Zanchius,  in  lupport 
of  his  argument  ;  a  falfe  colouring  mult,  iikewife,  be 
be  fuperindueed,  by  inserting  a  fentence  or  two,  now 
and  then,  of  your  own  foifting  in.  After  which,  you 
clofe  the  motley  piece,  with  an  entire  paragraph,  for¬ 
ged,  every  word  of  it,  by  yourfelf :  and  conclude  all, 
as  you  began,  with  fubjoining  the  initials  of  my  name: 
to  make  the  ignorant  believe,  that  the  whole,  with 
your  omiffions,  additions,  and  alterations,  actually 
came  from  me.— An  inflanceof  audacity  and  falfehood, 
hardly  to  be  paralleled  ! 

I  am  very  far  from  defiring  the  reader  to  take  my 
word,  in  proof  of  the  charge  alledged  againff  you.  As 
an  inftance  of  your  hvant  of  honour,  veracity,  and 
jullic.%  I  refer  to  the  following  paragraph,  i.  as 
publilhed  bv  me;  and,  2.  as  quoted  bv  you. 

N  2  1.  ‘  When 


[  148  1 


i. 

*  When  ail  the  tranfac- 
‘  tions  of  Providence  and 
‘  Grace  are  wound  up,  in 
4  thelaft day;  he(CnRisT) 

‘  will  then  properly  lit  as 
‘  f  udge, and  openly  pdblifn 
‘  and  foiemnly  ratify,  if  1 
‘  may  fo  fay, his  everlafting 
‘  decrees,  by  receiving  the 

*  elect,  body  and  foul,  into 
‘  Glory  :  and  by  palling  fen- 
‘  fence  on  the  Non-ekdl 

*  (NOT  FOR  HAVING  DONE 
4  WHAT  THEY  COULD 
4  not  help,  but)  for  their 
4  'wilful  ignorance  of  divine 

4  things, and  their  obftinate- 
4  unbelief;  lor  their  otnif- 
4  lions  of  moral  duty,  and  for 
4  their  repeated  iniquities 
4  and  tranfgreffions.’  Dodlr. 
of  Abf.  Predeft.  Page  93. 


2. 

4  In  thelaftday,  Chr ist 
4  will  lit  as  Judge,  and 
4  openly  publilh,  and  l'o- 
4  kmnly  ratify  his  ever- 
4  lading  decrees,  by  re- 
4  ceiving  the  debt  into 
4  glory^and  by  palling  fen- 
4  tehee  on  the  non-ekbt, 
‘  (not  for  having 

‘ DONE  WHAT  THEY 
4  COULD  NOT  HELP,  but) 

4  for  their  wilful  igno- 
4  ranee  of  divine  things, 
4  and  their  cbftinate  un- 
4  belief;  for  their  omif- 
4  lions  of  moral  duty,  and 
‘  for  their  repeated  ini- 
4  quities  andtranfgrefllons 

4  WHICH  THEY  COULD 

4  not  help.’  Wefley’s 
Abridgement,  Page  9. 


Whether  my  view  of  the  dodrine  itfelf  be,  in  fad!, 
right  or  wrong,  is  no  part  of  the  prefent  enquiry  ; 
The  queftion  is,  Have  you  quoted  me  (airly  ?  Blufn, 
HI r.  Wefley,  if  you  are  capable  of  blulhing.  For 
once,  publicly  acknowledge  yourfelf  to  have  adled  cri¬ 
minally  :  4  Unlels,’  to  life  your  own  words  on  another 
occafion,  4  Shame  and  you  have  Ihook  hands  and 
4  parted.’ 

Your  concluding  paragraph,  tvhich  you  have  the  ef- 
fromery  to  palm  on  the  world  as  mine,  runs  thus  ; 
4  *  The  linn,  ot  ail  is  this- :  One  in  twenty  (fuppofc) 
4  of  mankind  are  cledied  ;  nineteen  in  twenty  aie  re- 
4  probated.  The  debt  (hull  be  ifaved,  do  what  they 
4  will  ;  the  reprobate  lht.li  be -damned,  do  what  they 
4  can.  Reader,  believe  this,  or  be  damned.  Witnels 
4  my  hand,.  A - T . 

In 

*  Wefley’s  Abridgement,  page  1  a. 


f  149  ] 

In  aimofl  any  other  cafe,  a  limiter  forgery  would 
tranfint  the  criminal  to  Virginia  or  Maryland,  if  not 
to  Tyburn.  It  fuch  an  opponent  can  be  deemed  an 
honed  man,  wh.es'S  IhaU  we  find  a  knave  ?— What 
Would  you  think  of  me,  was  I  infamous  enough  to 
abridge  .any  treat ife  of  yours,  fprinkle  it  with  interpo¬ 
lations,  and  conclude  it  thus  :  ‘.Reader,  buy  this 
‘  book  or  be  damned,  Witnefs  rny  hand,  John 
‘  , We  Hey  !’ 

And  is  it  thus  you  contend  for  victory  ?  are  thef® 
the  weapons  of  your  warfare  ?  Is  this  bearing  down 
tliofe,  who  .differ  from, you,  with  .  meeknefs  ?  Do  you 
call  this,  binding  with  cords  of  love  ?  Away,  for 
fhame,  with  fuch  difingenuous  artifices.  At  leaft,  en¬ 
deavour  to  conceal  that  narrow,  ledhrian  fpirit,  which 
betrays  itfelf,  more  or  lefs,  in  almoft  every  thing  you 
write.  Renounce  the  low,  fyrpentine  cunning,  Which 
puts  you  on  falsifying,  what  you  find  yourlelf  unable 
to  refute.  And,  as  you  regard  your  character,  and  the 
caufe  you  efpoufe  ,•  difmifs  thofe  dirty  fubterfuges, 
(the  laft  refources  of  mean,  malicious  impotence) 
which  degrade  the  man  of  parts  into  a  lying  fophiiler, 
and  fink  a  Divine  beneath  the  level  of  an  oyfier-wo- 
tnan.  Ceafe  to  fight,  like  the  Frenph,  with  old  nails 
and  broken  glafsi  Charge,  fairly,  and  fire  as  forcible  as 
you  can.  But,  it  you  oerfift  to. employ,  the  weapons  of 
leurrility  and  falsehood  ;  the  fpl, inters  will  not  only 
recoil  on  youth  Jf,  but  you  will  continue  to  be  polled 
for  a  Theological  coward. 

And  why  should,  you,  of  all  people  in  the  world,  be 
fo  very  angry  with  the  tloflr.ines  bf  .grace.? Forget  not 
the  days  and  months  that  are.  path  Remember,  that 
it  once  depended  on  the  tofs  of  a  hilling,  whether  you 
yourfelf  ihould  be  a  Calvinist  or  an  Armenian.  Tails 
tell  tipper  moft,  and.  you  refolved  to  be  an  Univerfaliite 
’Twas  an  happy  throw,  which  con  fig  tied  you  to  the 
tents  of  Arminius  :  For  it  laved  us  from,  the  company 
of  a  man,  who,  by  a  kind  of  religious  gambling,  pecu* 
Hardy  his  own,  rilqued  his  faith’ on  the  moil  contemp¬ 
tible  of  all  lots  j  . and  was  capable  of  tolling  up  for  his 
>:  j  ‘  Creed, 


[  rJ?°  ] 

Creed,  as  porters,  or  chairmen,  tofs  np  for  an  half¬ 
penny. 

I  have  read  of  Princes,  and  other  eminent  perfons, 
who,  having  rifen,  from  ignoble  life,  to  greatnefs,  took 
care  to  have  fome  (hiking  memorials,  or  their  former 
cbfcurity,  frequently  in  their  view;  by  way  of  a  coun- 
rerpoife  to  pride,  and  as  a  prelervative  from  being  ex¬ 
alted  above  meafure. '  When,  from  the  pinnacle  of 
yoiir  own  importance,  you  look  down  upon  the  Advo¬ 
cates  for  Free  Grace,  and  coniider  them  as  reptiles,  to 
be  treated  as  you  pleafe,  only  recoiled!  the  humbling 
circumftanee,  of  which  1  have  jull:  reminded  you  : 
And  reprefs  the  complacent  fwellings  of  lelt-adulation, 
by  fome  fuch  foliloquy  as  this  :  ‘  I  have  been  in  dan- 
*  ger,  myfelt,  of  believing  that  St.  Paul  fays  true, 

‘  when  he  declares,  that  God  hath  mercy  on  ivbom  be 
1  ‘Mill  have  mercy.  Kcw  precious  was  the  (lulling, 

‘  and,  above  all,  how  lucky  was  the  throw,  which  con- 
4  vinced  me  of  St.  Paul’s  miftake  !’  Forgive  us,  if  we 
as  implicitly  determine  our  faith  by  the  Scriptures ;  as 
you  determined  yours,  by  the  fall  of  the  fplendid  Jbil- 
'iing. 

Eut,  even  (ince  this  memorable  epocha ,  you  have  by 
no  means  proved  yourfelf  that  lleady  Anninian,  you 
would  have  the  world  believe.  Proteus  like,  you  dif- 
dain  to  be  (hackled  and  circumfcribed  by  any  certain 
form.  Pier  Ladyfiiip  of  Loretto,  though  (he  has  a  dif¬ 
ferent  fuit  for  every  day  in  the  year,  is  jhnpcr  eadem , 
when  compared  with  the  quonda?n  Fellow  of  Lincoln 
College.  There  are  times,  when  you  vary  as  much 
from  your  preceding  felt,  as  you  do,  at  all  times,  trem 
the  reft  of  mankind.  Poftefted  of  more  than  ferpen- 
tine  elability,  you  caft  your  (lough,  not  once  a  year, 
but,  almoft,  once  an  hour.  Hence,  your  innumerable 
inconliftencies,  and  flagrant  felf-contradicticns  ,  the 
jarring  of  your  principles  (ever  at  inteftine  war  with 
each  other)  and  the  incoherence  of  your  religious  fyf- 
tem.  Your  fchetne  of  doifhines  reminds  me  of  the 
feet  of  a  certain  vifionary  image,  which,  as  the  facred 
penman  acquaints  us,  feemed  to  be  compofed  of  iron 
and  day  ;  heterogeneous  materials,  which  may,  indeed. 


[  K1  1 

be  put  together,  but  will  never  incorporate  with  each 
ocher.  Somewhat  like  the  Necromntic  foup,  of  which 
you  have,  probably,  read,  in  the  tragedy  of  Macbeth  ; 
your  doctrines  may  be  ilirred  into  a  chaotic  jumble, 
but  witchcraft  itfelf  would  drive  in  vain  to  bring  them 
into  coalition.  On  the  contrary,  Evangelical  truth 
knows  nothing  of  this  Harlequin  aflemblage.  It  is 
not,  like  Jofeph’s  coat,  of  many  colours  ;  nor  made  up 
of  a  patch  from  Donatus,  of  another  from  Pelagius, 
and  a  third  from  Arminius :  but  is  invariably  lim pie, 
uniform  and  harmonious ;  refembling  the  robe  of  its 
adorable  Teacher,  which  was  without  ft  am,  and  woven, 
from  the  top ,  throughout. 

On  one  occaiion,  you  had  the  candour  to  own  your 
levity,  as  to  points  of  Faith.  I  am  acquainted  with  a 
very  relpedtuble  perfon  (Mr.  J.  D.)  who,  not  many 
years  ago,  taking  the  freedom  to  tell  you,  that  ‘  Your 
‘prejudices,  like  armed  men,  flood,  with  their  iwords 
‘  ready  drawn,  to  guard  all  the  pafles  of  convidtion, 
‘  and  hew  down  every  truth  as  fall  as  it  prefented  itlelf 
■  to  your  mind  you  had  the  ufuai  honeily  to  anfwer, 
‘  Ah  !  Sir  !  if  you  knew  how  dillrcfi'ed  I  have  been, 
‘  what  dodtrines  I  fhou'd  embrace,  and  how  I  have  been 
‘  toiled  about  from  lyllem  to  fyflem,  you’d  think  me 
*  the  moft  open  to  convidlion,  and  the  leaf!  liable  to 
‘  prejudice,  of  any  man  you  ever  knew.’  This  anfwer 
did  you  real  honour,  for,  I  am  perfuaded,  you  lpoke 
true.  Yet,  why  lliould  you,  who  have  been  io  re¬ 
markably  toiled  about,  take  upon  you  to  revile  thole 
who  have  been  enabled  to  Hand  fall  ?  I  hope,  for  your 
own  lake,  that  you  will  never  ceafe  tolling  about  ’till 
you  have  gained  the  harbour  of  truth  :  and  that,  amidft 
all  vour  manifold  fliifting  from  fyliem  to  lyllem,  you 
will  at  length,  be  enabled  to  fix  on  the  only  right  fyf- 
tem,  which  aliens  the  lawfulnefs  of  God’s  doing  what 
he  will  with  his  own. 

I  am  told,  the  penny-fheet  (which  oecafions  this  free 
addrels)  is  to  be  followed  fome  time  hence,  by  a  four- 
penny  pamphlet  again!!  Zanchius  :  Wherein  you  are 
to  beliege  the  Dodl:  ine  of  ibedeftination  in  form. 

Commence 


[  i£*  3 

Commence  the  fiege  and  welcome.  Open  your  trenches 
and  plant  your  batteries.  Bring  forth  your  ftrong  ar¬ 
guments,  and  play  them  oft'  with  vigour.  I  publicly 
protefs,  and  lublcribe  my  name  to  it,  that,  it  1  cannot 
beat  you  back,  I’ll  freely  capitulate,  and  own  myfelf 
conquered.  But  remember,  that  if  you  would  do  any 
thing  to  purpofe,  you  mud  make  a  regular  attack.  You 
nnift  encounter  the  whole  ot  Zanchius,  and  take  his 
arguments  in  their  regular  connection  and  dependency 
on  each  other.  You  muft  go  through  with  my  Pre¬ 
face,  which  I  prefixed  to  my  translation  of  that  great 
man.  Having  carried  and  difmantled  the  out-work, 
you  muft  next  proceed  to  demolilh  the  DifTertation  on 
the  Divine  Attributes  :  which  having  deitroyed,  you 
are,  then,  to  aft'ail  the  citadel  ;  I  mean,  thofe  five  ftub- 
born  chapters,  which  make  up  the  body  of  the  Treatiie 
itfeli.  All  the  allies,  or  the  arguments  drawn  from 
Scripture  and  Reafon,  muft  like  wife  be  put  to  the 
fword.  This  fliould  you  attempt  to  do,  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  a  Scholar  and  a  Divine  ;  I  fhall  have  no 
objection  (if  life  and  health  continue)  to  meafuring 
fvvords,  or  breaking  a  pike  with  you.  Controverfy, 
properly  conducted,  is  a  friend  to  truth,  and  no  enemy 
to  benevolence.  When  the  flint  and  the  fteel  are  in 
conflict,  lbme  fparks  may  iiTue,  which  may  both  warm 
and  enlighten.— But  I  have  no  notion  of  encountering 
a  wind-mill,  in  lieu  of  a  giant.  If,  therefore,  you 
come  a  gal  nil  me  (as  now)  with  ffrazvs,  inltead  of  artil¬ 
lery  ;  and  with  chaff, \  in  the  room  of  ammunition  ;  I 
fl. all  difdain  to  give  you  battle  :  I  fhall  only  laugh  aC 
you  from  the  ramparts. 

Much  lefs,  if  you  defeend  to  your  cuftomary  re- 
courfe,  of  Falfe  Quotations,  despicable  inventive,  and 
unfupported  Dogmatifms ;  fl  ail  1  held  myfelf  obliged 
to,  again,  enter  the  lifts  with  you.  An  opponent, 
who  thinks  to  add  weight  to  bis  arguments,  by  feur- 
rility  and  abufe  ;  refembles  the  infane  perfon,  who 
rolled  himrelf  in  mud,  in  order  to  make  hiqftelf  fine. 
I  would  no  more  enter  into  a  formal  controverfy, 
with  fuch  a  fc’  jbbler,  than  1  wculJ  contend,  for  the 
wall,  with  a  chimney- Sweeper. 


When 


[  H3  1 

When  fome  of  your  friends  gave  out,  two  or  three 
months  before  your  late  doughty  publication,  that 
Mr.  John  (as  they  call  you)  was  (hutting  hi  illicit  up*, 
in  order  to  anlwer  the  Translator  of  Zanchius;  I  really 
imagined,  that  fome  thing  tolerably  refpe&able  was 
going  to  make  its  appearance.  But 

Sljiid  (lignum  tanto  tulit  hie  Promijfor ,  111  at  u  ? 

After  the  teeming  mountain  had  been  (hut  up  a  com¬ 
petent  time,  long  enough  to  have  been  brought  to  bed 
of  an  Hercules;  forth  creeps  a  puny,  toothlefs  moui'e,  a 
moufe  of  heterogeneous  kind :  having  little  more  than  its 
head  and  tail-j-  from  you  ;  and  the  main  of  its  body  made 
up  of  fome  mangled,  cailrated  citations  from  Zan¬ 
chius. 

. Current e  Rota ,  cur  Urceus  exit  ? 


If  I  may  judge  of  the  future,  by  the  paft,  and  un- 
lefs  you  amend  greatly  in  a  (hort  time  ;  your  Four- 
Penny  Supplement,  when  it  appears,  will  be  no  lei's  in- 
confiderable,  than  the  Penny  Sheet,  already  extant. 
And,  as  the  moufe'  is  not  cheap,  at  a  penny ;  I  am 
very  apprehentive,  the  rat,  when  it  ventures  out, 
will  be  far  too  dear  at  a  Groat. 

Hitherto,  your  treatment  of  Zanchius  refembles 
that  of  fome  clumfy,  bungling  Anatomiu  :  who,  in 
the  dliTefition  of  an  animal,  dwells  much  on  the  larger 
and  more  obvious  particulars  ;  but  quite  omits  the 
nerves,  the  lymphatics,  the  mufcles,  and  the  moil 


Dreadful  his  thunder,  while  imprinted,  roar  ; 

But,  when  once  pubiifh’d,  they  are  heard  no  more. 
So,  diftunt.  bug-bears  fight ;  but  nearer  draw. 

The  block’s  a  block,  and  turns  to  mirth  your  awe. 

Dr.  Young. 

f.  The  Advertifement,  on  the  back-hue  of  Mr. 
Weficy’s  Title-page  :  and  his  concluding  Paragraph, 

P.  12. 


[  i  $4  ] 

’nterefting  parts  of  the  complicate  machine.  Thus, 
]n  your  piddling  Extract  trom  the  pamphlet  you  have 
thought  proper  to  curtail,  you  only  give  a  kw  of  the 
arger  outlines  ;  without  at  all  entering  into  the  fpirit 
ot  the  Subject,  or  fo  much  as  producing  (fo  far  from 
attempting  to  refute)  any  of  the  turning  points,  on 
which  the  argument  depends.  Wrench  the  finer!  eye, 
that  ever  (hone  in  a  Lady’s  head,  from  its  locked ;  and 
it  will  appear  frightful  and  deformed  :  whereas,  in  its 
natural  connection,  the  fymmetry  and  brilliancy,  the 
expreffivenefs  and  the  beauty,  are  confpicuous.  So  it, 
often  fares  with  authors.  A  detached  fentence,  artfully 
mifplaeed,  or  unfeafonably  introduced  ;  nialicioufly 
applied,  or  unfairly  cited  ;  may  appear  to  cany  an 
idea,  the  very  revtrfe  of  its  real  meaning.  But  re¬ 
place  the  dillocated  pallage,  and  its  propriety  and  im¬ 
portance  are  reftored.  I  would  wifh  every  unpreju¬ 
diced  perfon,  into  whofe  hands  your  Abridgement  of 
my  translation  has  fallen,  to  fufpendhis  judgment  con¬ 
cerning  it,  ’till  he  fees  the  translation  itfelf.  On  com¬ 
paring  the  two  together,  he  will,  at  once,  perceive, 
how  candid  and  honeft  you  are  ;  and  what  quantity, 
of  confidence  may  be  repofed  on  your  integrity  as  a 
citer. 

When  I  advert  to  the  unjuft  and  indecent  manner, 
in  which  you  attacked  the  late  excellent  Mr.  Hervey  ; 
above  ail,  when  I  confider  how  daringly  free  you  have 
made  with  the  S'criptures  themfelves,  both  in  your 
commentaries,  and  in  your  alterations  of  the  text  it¬ 
felf;  I  ceafe  to  wonder,  at  the  audacious  licentiouf- 
nefs  of  your  pen,  refpefting  me.  I  Should  rather  won¬ 
der,  if  you  treated  any  opponent  with  equity,  or  can- 
rafied  any  fubjeft  impartially.  Rife  but  once  to  this, 
and  I  fhali  both  wonder  and  rejoice. 

You  give  me  to  underhand,  that  I  am  but  ‘  a  young 
Tranflator.’  Granted.  Better,  however,  to  be  a  young 
Translator,  than  an  old  Plagiary.  Which  of  our  an¬ 
cient  Divin 's  have  you  not  evaporated  and  fjioiled  ? 
and  made  them  Speak  a  language,  when  dead  ;  which 

they 


[  *55  ] 

they  would  have  darted  from,  with  horror,  when 
alive  r  * 

‘  Yet  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man  !’ 

How  mlferably  have  you  pillaged  even  my  publica¬ 
tion  ?  Books,  when  fent  into  the  world,  are  no  doubt, 
in  home  fenl'e,  public  property.  Zanchius,  if  you 
chofe  to  buy  him  was  yours  to  read ;  and,  it  you 
thought  yourfelf  equal  to  the  undertaking,  was  yours 
to  anlwer:  but  he  was  not  youis,  to  mangle.  Remem¬ 
ber,  how  narrowly  you  elcaped  a  prolecution  tome 
years  ago,  for  pirating  the  Poems  ot  Dr.  Young. 

I  would  wilh  you  ;o  keep  your  hands  from  literary 
picking  and  dealing.  However,  if  you  cannot  refrain 
from  this  kind  of  dealth,  you  can  abdain  trom  murder¬ 
ing  what  you  deal.  You  ought  not,  with  Ahab,  to 
kill,  as  well  as  take  pofltffion  ;  nor,  Giant  like,  to 
drew  the  area  of  your  den  with  the  bones  of  i’uch 
authors  as  you  have  ieized  and  ilain. 

On  moiroccadons,  you  are  coo  prone  to  fet  up  your 
own  infallible  judgment  as  the  very  Lapis  Lydius  of 
right  and  wrong.  Hence  the  firebrands,  arrows,  and 
death,  which  you  hurl  at  thofe,  who  prefume  to  vary 
from  the  oracles  you  dictate.  Hence,  particularly, 
your  illiberal  and  malevolent  fpleen  againlf  the  Pro- 
tedant  Bhfenters-j- ;  though  yourfelf  are,  in  many 

refpecb, 

*  See  almod  every  part  ot  what  Mr.  Wedey  mif- 
ealls,  The  Chridian  Library. 

f-  ‘  How  little  is  the  cafe  merided  at  the  meeting  ? 
‘  either  the  teachers  are  new-light  men,  denying  the 
‘  Lord  that  bought  them  ;  or  they  are  Prededinarians, 
‘  and  fo  preach  prededination  and  final  perfeverance, 
‘  more  or  iefs.  Nor  is  it  expedient  lor  any  Methodid 
4  Preacher,  to  imitate  the  DiiTenters  in  their  manner 
‘  ol  Praying ;  either  in  hi3  tone,  or  in  his  language, 
4  or  in  the  length  of  his  prayer.  Neither  Ihould  we 
4  lmg,  like  them,  in  a  How,  drawling  manner.  We 


[  1*6  1 

fsfpcclr.  a  Difienter  of  the  world  kind.  I  would  not* 
howev  r,  by  this  declaration,  he  underllood,  as  it  I 
meant  to-  did  onour  that  refpettable  body,  by  claiFng 
you  with  them  ;  for  you  Hand  alone,  and  area  B>ii- 
fe liter  of  a  calf  peculiar  to  yourielf.  And  yet,  like 
Henry  I.  you  are  tor  making  the  length  of  your  own 
arm,  the  ilandard-ineafure  tor  every  body  elfe.  No 
wonder,  therefore,  that  you  eminently  inherit  the  fate 
of  Ifhmael  :  that  your  “  hand  is  again  It  every  man, 
“  and  every  man’s  hand  againft  you.”  Strange  !  that 
one,  who  pleads,  fo  ltrenuoufly,  for  univerial  love  in 
the  Deity' ;  thould  adopt  lb  little  of  the  love,  for  which 

he 

-g :T=s==j- 

‘  lir.g  fwift,  both  becaufe  it  faves  time,  and  becaufe 
*  it  tends  to  awake  and  enliven  the  foul.’ 

Mr.  Weiley’s  Prelerv.  againft  unfettled  notions, 

P-  244- 

How  much  more  civilly,  not  to  fay-  cordially,  this 
Gentleman  (hakes  hands  with  the  Papilts,  let  his  own 
words  declare  :  ‘Can  nothing  be  done,  even  allowing 
‘  us,  on  both  fules  to  retain  our  own  opinions,  for  the 
‘  foftening  our  hearts  towards  each  other?-— My  dear 
4  friend,  conlider  I  am  not  perfuading  you  to  leave  or 
4  change  your  religion  :  but  to  follow  after  that  fear 
1  and  love  of  God,  without  which,  all  religion  is  vain. 
4  I  fay  not  a  word  to  you,  about  your  opinions,  or 
4  outward  manner  of  worfhip.— We  ought,  without 
4  this  endlefs  jangling  about  opinions,  to  provoke  oue- 
4  another  to  love  and  to  good  works.  Let  the  points, 

4  wherein  we  differ,  Hand  alide.  Here  are  enough, 

4  wherein  we  agree.— O  Brethren,  let  us  not  Hill  tall 
‘.out  by  the  way  !’ 

Mr.  Wefley’s  letter  to  a  Roman  Catholic,  p.  4,  8, 10. 

Far  he  it  from  me,  to  charge  Mr.  Wefley  with  a 
fondnefs  for  all  the  groffer  parts  of  Popery.  \  et,  I 
fear,  the  partition  between  that  church  and  him,  is 
fomewhnt  thinner  than  might  be  wifhed.  Or,  rather, 
like  the  loving  Pyrrmus,  and  Thifbe,  they  endeavour 
to  remedy  the  want  A  a  perfect  coalition,  byr  killing 
each  other  through  an  hole  in  the  wall* 


[  *57  1 

lie  pleads  !  That'  a  perfon,  of  principles  fo  large,  Hiould 
have  an  heart  fo  narrow  !  Bigots  of  every. denomina¬ 
tion  are  much  the  lame  :  and  of  all  vices,  bigotry  is 
one  ot  the  meaneft  and  molt  mifchievous.  Its  fhriev- 
eled,  contracted  bread:  leaves  no  room  for  the  noble 
virtues  to  dilate  and  play.  Candour,  benevolence, 
and "  forbearance  become  fmothered  and-  extinguifned  : 
partly,  from  being  crampt  by  littlenefs  of  mind  ; 
partly,  from  being  overwhelmed  with  intellectual  duft. 
Bigotry  is  a  determined  enemy  to  truth  ;  inafmuch  as 
it  clfentially  interferes  wit',  freedom  of  enquiry,  re¬ 
drains  the  grand  indefeafible  right  of  private  judgment, 
confines  our  regards  to  a  party,  and,  by  limiting  the  ex¬ 
tent  of  moderation  and  mutual  good-will,  tears  up 
Charity  by  tire  very  roots.  In  fnort,  Bigotry  is  the 
very  efience  of  Popery  ;  and,  too  often,  leads  its  vota¬ 
ries,  before  they  are  aware,  into  the  bofom  of  that  pre¬ 
tended  church,  whole  doctrines  and  maxims  are  the 
worll  corruption  of  the  befit  religion  that  ever  was.  And 
though  this  baneful  vice  is  fo  uncomfortable,  in  itfelf ; 
fo  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  Gofpel  ;  and  fo  exten- 
iively  pernicious  in  its  effedls  ;  yet,  is  it  not  as  common 
as  it  is  deteilable  ?  May  all  God’s  children  be  enabled 
to  call  it,  with  the  red  ol  their  idols,  to  the  moles  and 
to  the  bats ! 

You  have  obliquely,  given  me  a  fneering  ledlure 
upon  ‘  Modedy,  felf-diffidence,  and  tendernels’  to  op¬ 
ponents  :  And,  it  mud  be  owned,  that  the  leflon  comes 
with  a  peculiar  grace,  and  quite  in  character  from 
You.  The  words  found  well :  But,  like  many  other 
preferibers,  you  fay,  and  do  not.  Elfe,  why  do  you 
represent  me  as  telling  my  readers,  4  that  they  mud, 
‘  upon  pain  of  damnation,  believe,  that  only  one  per- 
4  fon  in  twenty  is  elecfred  ?’  Why  do  you  introduce  me 
as  enjoining  them  !o  believe,  under  the  lame  penalty, 

‘  That  the  elcdt  lhall  be  faved,  do  what  they  will ;  and 
‘  the  reprobate  damned,  do  what  they  can  r’  This  is 
a  fample,  indeed,  of  your  own  modedy,  tendernefs, 
and  felt-diffidence  :  but,  God  lorbid,  that  I  fliould  give 
fuch  difinal  proof  of  mine.  I  believe  and  preach, 
that  the  chofen  and  ranfomed  of  the  Lord,  are  44  ap. 

O  46  pointed 


[  i*B  ] 

pointed  to  falvation  through  fluidification  of  theSpi- 
“  rir,  and  belier  of  the  truth  And,  with  regard  to 
the  reil,  that  they  will  be  condemned,  not  for  doing 
what  they  can  in  a  moral  way,  but  for  not  doing 
what  they  can  :  for  not  believing  the  Gofpel  report ; 
and  for  not  ordering  their  converfation  according  to  it. 

Let  me  likewife  alk  you,  when,  or  where,  I  ever 
prefumed  to  afcertain  the  number  of  God’s  eled  ? 
Point  out  the  treatife,  and  the  page,  wherein  I  aflerr, 
that  only  *  One  in  twenty  of  mankind  are  eleded.’ 
The  book  of  life  is  not  your  keeping,  nor  in  mine. 
The  Lord,  and  the  Lord  only,  “  knoweth  them  that 
“  are  his.”  He  alone,  “  who  telleth  the  number  of 
“  the  ftars,  and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names;”  call- 
eth  alfo  “  his  own  Iheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them 
*“  out firft,  from  a  ftate  of  fin  into  a  date  of  grace, 
and  then  into  a  flate  of  glory.  Yet,  as  the  learned  and 
devout  Beza  expreiTes  himfelf,  ‘  I  fhall  never  blufh  to 
‘  abide  by  that  limplicity,  which  the  Holy  Spirit,  fpeak- 
*  ing  in  the  Scriptures,  hath  been  pleafed  to  adopt 
And  ’tis  but  too  certain,  that,  in  the  Scriptures,  are 
inch  awful  pafl'ages  as  thefe  ;  “  Broad  is  the  way,  and 
“  wide  the  gate,  which  leadeth  to  deftrudion,  and  ma- 
“  ny  there  be  that  go  in  thereat  While,  on  the 
other  hand,  “  Strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the 
“  way,  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that 
“  find  it.— Many  are  called,  but  few  chofen.— -Fear 
“  not,  little  flock  ;  for  it  is  your  Father’s  good  pleafure 
to  give  you  the  kingdom.— There  is  a  remnant  ac- 
“  cording  to  the  eledion  of  grace.”  Declarations  of 
this  tremendous  import,  inftead  of  furnifhing  you  with 
fuel  for  contention,  apd  letting  you  on  a  prefumptuous 
and  fruitlefs  calculation  of  the  number  that  (hall  be 
faved  or  lofl ;  fhould  rather  bring  you  on  your  knees 
before  God,  with  your  hand  upon  your  bieafl,  and 
this  cry  in  your  lips :  *  Search  me,  O  Lord,  and  try 
6  me  ;  prove  me  alfo,  and  examine  my  thoughts.  Shew 

‘  me 

<S==s==S- 

*  Me  vero  iftius Jlmplicitatis ,  quam  Sp.  S.  amplcxus  eft, 
FMr.quam  pudebit^  Beza?  in  Matth,  ii.  a. 


[  T59  3 

*  me,  to  which  clafs  I  belong.  Give  me  lolid  prool 
‘  that  my  name  is  in  the  Lamb’s  book  of  life,  by  mak- 
‘  ing  it  clear  to  me  that  I  am  in  the  faith.’  And  ever 
remember,  that  true  faith  utterly  difclaims  all  ground 
of  pretenfion  to  j  unification  and  eternal  lile,  but  on  the 
foie  footing  of  God’s  abfolute  grace,  and  the  Melliah’s 
finilhed  redemption.  Pelagiajrifm  is  for  ferving  the 
Deity,  as  Pope  Celefline  III.  is  laid  to  have  treated  the 
Emperor  Henry  VI.  It  quite  kicks  off  the  crown 
from  the  head  of  Sovereign  grace  ;  a :■  I  makes  the  will 
of  God  bend,  and  truckle,  and  fiiape  itfelf  to  the  ca¬ 
price  of  man.  Arminianifm,  fomevvhat  more  fpecious, 
but  altogether  as  pernicious,  cuts  the  crown  in  two, 
by  dividing  the  praife  of  falvation  between  God  and 
man,  and  fairly  runs  away  with  half.  On  the  contrary, 
that  Faith  which  is  of  Divine  operation,  adds  like  the 
Emperor  Charles  V.  when  he  retired  from  the  throne  % 
It  refigns  the  crown  entirely,  and  renounces  it  for 
ever,  without  referring  fo  much  as  aiingle  jewel  for  it- 
fell. 

Should  the  Holy  Spirit  vouchfafe  to  lead  you  thus 
far ;  you  will,  then,  no  longer  be  ready  to  objeiff, 

*  That  the  eleCi  fnall  be  faved,  do  what  they  will :’  For 
you’ll  know  by  heart-felt  experience,  that  the  convert¬ 
ed  elecl  are,  and  cannot  but  be,  ambitious  to  perform 
all  tnofe  good  works,  in  which  God  hath  ordained  them 
to  walk  ;  and  to  aft  worthy  of  him,  who  hath,  graci- 
oufly  and  effectually  called  them  to  his  kingdom  and 
g'ofy- 

Your  pretended  fear  of  Antinomianifm,  like  your 
real  fear  ot  the  Comet,  which  was  expended  to  have  ap¬ 
peared  a  few  years  back,  is  perfectly  idle  and  chimeri¬ 
cal.  You  publicly  tellified  your  appreheniions,  that 
the  latter  would  dry  up  our  rivers,  and  bum  up  our 
vegetables,,  if  not  reduce  the  earth  itfelf  to  a  cinder. 
But  your  prophecies  proved  to  be,  ‘  The  bafelefs  fa- 
‘  brie  of  a  vilion  and  our  rivers,  trees,  and  earth,  re¬ 
main  as  they  were. ---Nor  will  the  doctrines  of  grace, 
experimentally  received  into  the  heart,  dellroy,  or 
Q  z  weaken 


C  160  ] 

weaken,  the  obligations  of  moral  *  virtue.  On  the 
contrary,  they  will  operate  on  the  practice,  not  like 
your  fcdrching  comet  on  our  globe  ;  but  like  the  ge¬ 
nial  beams  ot  tire  fun,  which  aifi'ul'e  gladneis,  and  oc¬ 
casion  fruitfulnefs,  wherever  they  ariie.  Whoever 
v.  ifhes  in  earnei:  to  lead  a  new  life,  inuft  did,  cordially 
embrace  the  good  t-.d  doddrine  of  lalvation  by  grace 
:  lone.— In  fnort,  your  own  tenet,  of  Sinlefs  Perfection, 


*  Confcioufnefs  or  guilt,  and  dread  of  detection, 
frequently  put  bad  men  upon  entering  thofe  accufa- 
rions  againd  their  opponents,  which,  without  fuch 
a  timely  precaution,  they  are  judly  apprehenftve,  will 
be  charged  upon  themfelves  :  like  the  apodate  fpirits 
i:i  Milton,  who  were  for  turning  their  own  torments 
into  weapons  agninil  heaven.  Such  is  the  prudent  con¬ 
duct  ot  very  many  Arminians.  Fully  aware,  that 
their  ottn  lives  are  none  of  the  Kit,  they  affcdt  to 
cry  out  againd  Calvinifm,  as  though  Ihe  was  the  very 
mother  and  nurfe  of  licentioufneis.  Were  die  realiy 
fo,  what  myriads  w'ould  defert  the  Standard  of  Armini- 
us,  and  dock  to  the  banner  of  Calvin  !  But  all,  who 
are  capable  of  difeernment  know,  that  the  pretended 
licentious  tendency  of  Calvinifm  (fo  called)  is  no  more 
than  idle  flourilh  and  empty  declamation.  Were  the 
dochines  of  grace  unfavourable  to  drift  morality,  we 
Should  quickly  fee  them  the  reigning  lyflem  oS  the 
age.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  therefore,  at  prefent, 
unfashionable,  becaufe  they  make  no  allowance  for  the 
wickednefs  of  the  wicked.  ’Tis  a  fundamental  axiom, 
with  us,  who  abide  by  the  principles  of  the  Reforma¬ 
tion,  that  holinefs  of  heart  and  life  is  (not  the  caufe, 
price,  or  condition,  bur,  which  adds  infinitely  flrcnger 
fecurity  to  the  interefls  of  moral  virtue)  an  cflential 
and  inseparable  part  of  that  very  Salvation,  to  which 
the  eleci  were  chofen  from  everlading.  A  Calvinid 
muil,  consequently,  renounce  both  the  letter  and  the 
Spirit  of  his  own  conditutive  principles  (r.  e.  he  mud 
ceale  to  be  a  Calvinid)  e!cr  he  can,  confidently,  dege¬ 
nerate  into  a  leni'ualid. 


[  i6r  ] 

leads,  direclly,  to  tlie  grofleft  Antinomianifm.  I  once 
knew  .a  Lady,'  whom  you  had  inveigled  into  your  pale, 
and  who,  in  a  fnort  fpace,  protefied  herfelf  perfctf. 
Being  in  her  company,  iome  time  after,  I  pointed  out 
a  part  of  her  conduit,  which,  to  me,  feerned  hardly 
compatible  with  a  linlefs  Hate.  Her  anfwer  was  to  this 
efiedf  :  ‘  You  are  no  competent  judge  of  my  behavi- 
1  our.  You  are  not,  yourfelf,  perfectly  fandtified  ; 

‘  and  therefore  fee  my  tempers  and  addons  through  a 
‘  falfe  medium.  I  may,  to  you,  feem  angry  :  but  my 
‘  anger  is  only  Chrifhan  zeal.’  I  could,  moreover, 
mention  the  names  of  fome  of  your  quondam  followers, 
who,  from  profeffing  themfelves  finlefs,  have  caft  off 
all  appearance  of  godiinefs,  and  are  working  all  manner 
of  iniquity  with  greedinefs.  If  you  are  in  fearch  of 
Antinomians,  truly  and  juftly  to  called;  you-  mu  it 
look  for  them,  not  among  thofe  whom  you  term  Cal- 
viliifts,  but  among  your  own  hair-brained  *  Perfec- 
O  3  tionifts. 

-G  •  .==S- 

*  I  might,  with  too  much  juftice,  add,  that  fome 
of  Mr.  W.’s  own  Lay -Preachers  are,  indifputably  to 
be  numbered  among  pradfical  Antinomians.  Thefe, 
however,  are  regarded,  by  their  partifans,  as  very  ex¬ 
cellent  men,  that  have  not  yet  attained  to  perfection, 
though  they  are  in  a  fair  way  for  it.  If  Mr.  Weiley 
fhould  have  the  front  to  deny,  that  any  of  his  preach¬ 
ing  mechanics,  are  men  of  loofe  lives  ;  I  have  it  in  my 
power  to  appeal  to  fadts,  which  a  tendernefs  for  thofe 
perfons,  as  individuals  or  mankind,  and  a  concern  for 
the  honour  of  human  nature  in  general,  reft  rain  me  at 
prefen t,  from  holding  up  to  public  view.  Nor  would 
I  be  thought  to  hint  at  thefe  things,  with  pleafurable 
triumph.  1  feel  too  ftrongly  for  the  interefts  of  Chri- 
fiian  obedience,  and  for  the  happinefs  of  fouls,  to  ex¬ 
ult. over  the  vices  of  the  vicious  but,  when  men, 
whole  lives  would  be  a  difgrace  to  Heathenifm  ;  when 
men,  whom  Socrates  or  Seneca  would  have  b  la  fired  to 
own  for  difciples  ;  take  upon  them  to  arraign  the  doc¬ 
trines  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  our  Eftabiiflied  Church, 

treder 


[  16a  ] 

tiomfts.  Had  not  you  yourfelf  (to  remind  you  of  but 
one  inflance)  a  proof  of  it,  not  veiy  long’ ago  ?  You 
formed  a  fcheme,  of  colleding  as  many  perfcd  ones  as 
you  could,  to  live  together  under  one  roof.  A  num¬ 
ber  of  thefe  flowers  were  accordingly  tranfplanted, 
from  fame  of  your  nurfery  beds,  to  the  hot-houfe. 
And  an  hot  houfe  it  Ibon  proved.  For,  would  we  l>e- 
lieve  it  ?  the  finlefs  people  quarrelled  in  a  fr.ort  time, 
at  fo  violent  a  rate,  that  you  found  yourfelf  forced  to 
difband  the  feled  regiment'.  Had  you  kept  them  to¬ 
gether  much  longer,  that  line  would  have  leen  literal¬ 
ly  verified  in  thel'e  Iquabbling  members  of  your  church 
militant  ; 

4  The  males  pull’d  nofes,  and  the  females  caps.’ 

A  very  fmall  houfe,  I  am  perfuaded,  would  hold  the 
really  perfcd,  upon  earth.  You  might  drive  them 
all  into  a  nudhell.  But  to  return. 

I  cannot  difmifs  your  objedion,  concerning  the  fup- 
pofedfcwnefs  of  God’s  truly  eled  people,  without  ob- 
ferving,  that,  how  few  foever  they  may  appear,  and 
really  be,  in  a  Angle  generation,  and  as  balance-d  with 
the  many  unrighteous  among  whom  they  live  below ; 
yet,  when  the  whole  number  of  the  Redeemer’s  jewels 
is  made  up— when  the  entire  harvefl  of  his  faints  is 
gathered  in— when  his  complete  my  flic  body  is  pre- 
iented,  colledively,  before  the  throne  of  his  Father  ; 
they  will  amount  to  an  exceeding  great  multitude, 
which  no  man  can  number.  On  earth  the  company 
of  the  faithful  may,  to  us,  who  know  but  in  part,  re¬ 
ferable  Elijah’s  cloud,  which  at  firft,  feemed  “  no  bigger 
“  than  a  man’s  hand whereas,  in  the  day  of  God, 
they  will  be  found  to  overfpread  the  whole  heavens. 

They 

•g, 

under  a  pretence  of  guarding  againft  thofe  immora¬ 
lities  of  which  they  themfelves  are  notorious  and  noon¬ 
day  examples.—  What  can  fubh  fhamelefs  railers  ex- 
ped,  but  to  hav<  their  own  real  crimes  defervedly  ex¬ 
po  led  ? 


t  i63  1 

They  may  appear,  now,  to  ufe  Ifaiah’s  phrafe,  but  as 
“  two  or  three  berries  on  the  top  ot  a  bough,  or  as 
“  four  or  five  in  the  moil  fruitful  branches  thereof 
but  they  {hall,  then",  be  like  the  tree  in  Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar’s  vilion,  the  “  the  height  of  which  reached  un- 
“  to  heaven,  and  the  fight  of  it  to  the  end  of  all  the 
“earth:  the  leaves  whereof  were  fair,  and  the  fruit 
“  thereof  much.”  The  kingdom  of  glory  will  both 
be  more  largely,  and  more  varioufly  peopled  ;  than 
Bigots,  ot  all  denominations,  are  either  able  to  think, 
or  willing  to  allow. 

Go  now,  Sir,  and  dazzle  the  credulous  with  your 
mock  victory  over  the  fuppofed  reprobation  ot  ‘  nine- 
4  teen  in  twenty.’  Go  on  to  chalk  hideous  figures  on 
your  wain  foot  ;  and  enjoy  the  glorious  triumph  of 
battering  your  knuckles  in  lighting  them.  But  father 
no  more  of  your  hideous  figures  on  me.  Do  not  drefs 
up  fcare-crows  of  your  own,  and  then  affedt  to  run  a- 
way  from  them  as  mine.  I  do  not  expedt  to  be  treat¬ 
ed,  by  Mr.  John  Wefley,  with  the  candour  of  a  Gentle¬ 
man,  or- the  mecknefs  of  a  Chriflian  ;  but  I  with  him, 
for  his  reputation’s  fake,  to  write  and  adt  with  the 
honeliy  of  an  Heathen. 

You  affedt  ta  be  deemed  a  Minifter  of  the  national 
church.  Why,  then,  do  you  decry  her  doctrines,  and, 
as  tar  as  in  you  lies,  hip  her  difeipline?  That  you  de¬ 
cry  her  dofh'ines  needs  no  proot :  Witnefs,  tor  ex¬ 
ample,  the  wide  difcrepancy,  between  her  decifions 
and  yours,  on  the  articles  of  Free-will,  J unification, 
Predeflination,  Perfeverance,  and  finlefs  Perfedtion ; 
to  lay  nothing  concerning  your  new-fangled  doctrine 
ot  the  intermediate  ftate  of  departed  fouls*. 

That 

•g  ■— 

*  In  Mr.  Wefley' ’s  firll  edition  of  his  notes  on  the 
New  Teftament,  publifhed  in  175^,  are  the  two  fol¬ 
lowing  allertions :  than  which,  even  he  himfelf  has, 
perhaps,  never  given  a  more  finking  fpecimen  of  Pre- 
fumption  and  Inconliflency.  4  Enoch  and  Elijah  are 
*  sot  in  heaven,  but  only  in  paradife ;’  Note  or.  John 


C  i64  ] 

That  you  likewife,  do  not  overflow  with  zeal  for 
the  difcipline  *  of  the  church  ot  England,  is  manifeft 
not  only  from  the  numerous  and  intricate  regulations, 
with  which  you  fetter  f  your  focieties,  but  from  the 

mealures 


iii,  13.  “Enoch  and  Elijah  entered  at  once  into  the 
“  higheft  degree  of  glorv,  without  firfl  waiting  in 
“  paradife  Note  on  Rev.  xix,  20.— This  it  is,  to 
be  wife  above  what  is  written  ! 

*  Mr.  Wefley’s  re-baptization  of  feme  adult  pcrfons 
is  another  proof  of  this  charge.  I  could  point  out,  by 
name,  more  than  one,  who  have  undergone,  from 
his  hands,  a  reiteration  of  that  facred  ceremony.  I 
fhall  only,  at  prefent,  mention  a  (ingle  inflar.ee,  which 
1  had  from  the  perfon  herfelf,  with  peimiliion  to 
publifh  her  name  at  full  length,  in  cafe  Mr.  W.  fhould 
deny  the  fa£L  Mrs.  L.  S.  now  living  in  Southwark, 
was  baptized,  in  a  bathing  tub,  in  a  cellar,  by  Mr. 
John  Wefley ;  who,  at  the  time,  held  her  down  fo 
very  long  under  water,  while  he  deliberately  pronoun¬ 
ced  the  words  of  the  adminiftration,  that  feme  triends 
of  hers,  who  were  prefent,  fereamed  out,  from  an  np- 
prehenficn  that  (he  was  adtually  drowned  :  and  (lie 
herfelf  was  fo  far  gone,  that  (lie  began  to  grow  infen  - 
Able,  and  was  lifted  out  of  the  water  but  juft  time 
enough  to  fave  her  life.-— Yet  this  is  the  Man,  who, 
in  the  writings  which  he  has  publi(hed  to  the  world, 
profefles  to  hold  Infant  baptifm,  and  that  by  fprink- 
ling,  not  by  Immerlion  ! 

S^uo  tcncam  Vultus  mutantem  Protea  "No do  ? 

•J  The  Rules  of  what  Mr.  Wefley  calls  the  Band* 
Societies,  demonftrate  the  miferable  fervitude  of  thofe 
who  are  admitted  into  that  gofliping  club.  The  whole 
of  thefe  rules  would  be  too  tedious  to  infert.  One  or 
two  of  them,  as  famples  of  the  reft,  may  not  be  unac¬ 
ceptable  to  the  reader. 

”  To  ('peak,  each  of  us  in  order,  freely  and  plainly, 

‘  the 


[  i6$  1 

meafures  you  lately  purfued,  when  a  foreign  mendi¬ 
cant  was  in  England,  who  went  by  the  name  of  Eraf- 
mus,  and  dilecT  himlelf  Bilhop  of  Arcadia.  This  old 
Gentleman  palled  tor  a  Prelate  of  the  Greek  church  ; 
though,  to  me,  it  feems  not  improbable,  that  he  might 

rather 

•3===®* 

*  the  true  Hate  of  our  fouls  ;  with  the  Faults  vve 
‘  have  committed  in  Thought,  Word  or  Deed;  and 
‘the  Temptations  we  have  felt,  fince  our  laft 
‘  meeting. 

‘  To  delire  fome  perfon  among  us,  to  fpeak  his  own 
4  date  fird,  and  then  alk  the  red,  in  order,  as  many  and 

*  as  searching  quedions  as  may  be,  concerning 

*  their  date,  fins  and  temptations.’ 

Among  the  quedions,  propofed  to  fuch  as  are  candi¬ 
dates  for  admidion  into  this  pretended  SatiHum  Sane - 
torum,  is  the  following  : 

‘  It  is  your  delire  and  dedgn,  to  be,  on  this  and  all 
‘  other  occadons  entirely  open,  l'o  as  to  speak 
‘  every  Thing,  that  is  in  your  Heart  without 

*  Exception,  without  Disguise,  and  without  Re- 

‘  SERVE.’ 

The  printed  account,  from  tvhence  thefe  extracts 
were  taken,  verbatim,  adds ;  that  the  five  following 
quedions  are  to  be  alked  at  every  meeting  : 

1  i.  What  known  Sins  have  you  committed,  fince 
4  our  lad  meeting  ? 

‘  2.  What  Temptations  have  you  met  with  ? 

4  3.  How  was  you  delivered  ? 

‘  4.  What  have  you  thought,  faid,  or  done,  of  which 
4  you  doubt  whether  it  be  fin  or  net  ? 

4  3.  Have  you  nothing  you  defire  to  k?ep  a  Secret  r ’ 
The  Reader,  doubtlefs,  will,  on  this  occafion,  be 
reminded  dr  the  Popiih  practice  of  Auricular  confeffion. 
For  my  own  part,  1  make  no  fcruple  to  acknowledge, 
that  confeffion,  as  managed  in  the  church  of  Rome, 
is  infinitely  preferable  to  confeffion,.  as  conducted  un¬ 
der  the  aufpices  ot  Mr.  Welley.  In  thofe  countries, 
where  Popery  is  edabliflied,  confeffion  is  made  only  to 

one 


[  i66  ] 

rather  be  a  member  of  die  Romilh.  Thus  much,  how¬ 
ever,  is  certain  ;  that  the  Chaplains  of  the  then  Ruf- 
lian  Amballador,  here,  knew  aothing  about  him  ;  and 
that,  to  this  day,  the  Greek  church,  in.  Amderdam, 
believe  him  to  have  been  an  impodor.  With  regard 
to  this  perfon,  I  take  the  liberty  of  putting  one  or  two 
queries  to  you. 

i.  Did  you,  or  did  you  not,  get  him  *  to  ordain  fe¬ 
deral  of  your  Lay-preachers,  according  to  the  manner 
of  what  he  called  the  Greek  ritual  ? 

2.  Did 

'3-  '■  :  '  ■a=S- 

one  perfon,  and  he  a  Pried  :  who,  if  he  divulges 
what  is  made  known  to  him  under  the  character  of 
confelTor,  is  liable,  by  law,  to  fuller  death.  But  in  thefe 
Band  Societies,  the  mod  open  and  unreferved  confeffi- 
on,  is,  it  feems,  made,  in  the  hearing  of  a  dozen  or 
twenty  old  women  and  boys,  who  are  at  liberty  to  blab 
out  all  they  hear,  without  being  obnoxious  to  any 
penalty  at  all. 

I  (hall  only  tranfcribe,  from  the  above  account,  the 
two  following  rules,  impofed  on  thefe  fame  focieties  : 

1.  ‘  To  wear  no  needlefs  ornaments  ;  fuch  as  rings, 
4  ear-rings,  necklaces,  lace,  ruffles. 

2.  ‘To  ufe  no  needlefs  felf-indulgence ;  fuch  as, 
*  taking  Snuff,  or  Tobacco:  unleft  preferibed  by  the 
‘  Phydcian.’ 

*  There  is  fomething  vadly  curious  in  the  letter  of 
orders,  which  this  vagrant  gave  to  the  perfons  he 
pretended  to  ordain.  I  once  faw  an  original  let  ter, 
or  certificate,  of  this  kind,  figned  by  himfelf.  It  was 
written  in  very  mean  Greek  :  and,  which  added  to 
my  perfuadon  of  Erafmus’s  being  an  impodor,  was 
drawn  up,  not  in  the  modern  Greek,  which  the  Chrif- 
tians  of  that  church  now  ufe,  but  in  the  ancient  :  and 
if  I  am  not  greatly  midaken,  the  words  were  likewife 
accented.  I  read  it  over,  twice  ;  and  mod  fmcerely 
wifh,  I  had  taken  a  copy  of  it :  But,  at  that  time,  I 
regarded  it  only  as  an  article  of  prefent  curiodty.—  A 
friend  of  mine,  however,  who  improved  his  oppor¬ 
tunity- 


C  167  ] 

2.  Did  thefe  Lay-preachers  of  yours,  or  aid  they  not, 
both  drefs,  and  officiate,  as  Clergymen  of  the  church 
of  England,  in  confequence  of  that  ordination  ?  And 
under  the  i'mftion  ot  your  own  avowed  approbation 
notwithftanding,  putting  matters  at  the  bell,  they 
could  only  be  Minifters  of  the  Greek  church,  and 

which 

•g  -;■■== 

tunity  rather  better,  took  a  tranilation  of  it;  which, 
on  my  after  requeft,  he  favoured  me  with  :  and  upon 
the  ftrength  of  memory,  I  can  venture  to  affine  the 
public,  that  the  verlion  is,  materially,  a  juft  one.  I 
believe  it  to  be  perfedlly  fo.  It  runs  thus : 

‘  Our  meafure  from  the  grace,  gift  and  power  of 
4  the  all-holy  and  life-giving  Spirit,  given  by  our  Sa- 
4  viour  Jefus  Chrift  to  his  divine  and  holy  Apoftles,  to 
‘  ordain  Sub-deacons  and  Deacons;  and  alfo  to  advance 
4  to  the  dignity  of  a  Prieft  !  Of  this  grace,  which  hath 
4  defeended  to  our  humility,  1  have  ordained  Sub- 
4  deacon,  and  Deacon,  at  Snow-lields  Chapel,  on  the 
4  19th  day  of  November,  1764,  and  at  YVells-ftreet 
4  Chapel,  on  the  24th  of  the  fame  month,  Prieft  ;  the 
4  Reverend  Mr.  W.  C.  according  to  the  rules  ot  the 
‘  holy  Apoftles  and  of  our  faith.  Moreover,  I  hare 
4  given  to  him  power  to  minifter  and  teach,  in  all  the 
1  world,  the  Gofoel  of  Jefus  Chrift,  no  one  forbidding 
4  him  in  the  church  of  God,  wherefore,  for  that  very 
4  purpofe,  I  have  made  this  prefent  letter  of  recom- 
4  mendation  from  our  humility,  and  have  given  it  to 
4  the  ordained  Mr.  W.  C.  lor  his  certificate  and  fe- 
4  curity. 

4  Given  and  written  at  London,  in  Britain,  Novem- 
4  ber  24th,  1764. 

‘ERASMUS,  Bifhopof  ARCADIA.’ 

I  cannot  help  fuipefting,  that  his  humility,  as  he 
■ftiles  himfelf,  is,  if  the  truth  was  known,  nearly  re¬ 
lated  to  another  certain  old  Gentleman,  who,  no  lefs 
humbly  writes  himfelf.  Servant  of  the  Servants  of  God.-— 
His  humility  of  Arcadia,,  and  his  Holinefs  of  Rome, 
are,  I  doubt  not,  Ions  of  one  and  the  fame  Ecclefiafti- 
cal  mothere 


[  i63  ] 

which  could  give  them  no  legal  right  to  adt  as  Murders 
of  the  church  ot  England.  Nay,  did  you  not  repeat¬ 
edly,  declare,  that  their  ordination  war,  to  all  intents 
and  purpofes,  as  valid,  as  your  own,  which  you  receiv¬ 
ed,  forty  years  ago,  at  Oxford  ? 

3.  Did  you,,  or  did  you  not,  ftrongly  prefs  this 
fuppoi’ed  Greek  Billiop  to  confecrate  you  a  Bill  op  at 
large,  that  you  might  be  invefted  with  a  power  ot  or¬ 
daining  what  Minifters  you  pleafed,  to  officiate  in 
your  Societies  as  Clergymen  ?  And,  did  he  not  refuie 
to  confecrate  you,  alledging  this  for  his  reaion,  that 
according  to  the  canons  or  the  Greek  church,  more 
than  one  Biffiop  rnuit  be  prefent  to  aii'ift,  at  the  confe- 
cration  of  a  new  one  ? 

4.  In  all  this,  did  you,  or  did  you  not,  palpably  vio¬ 
late  a  certain  oath,  which  you  have  repeatedly  tak<  n  ? 
I  mean  the  oath  ot  Supremacy  :  part  of  which,  runs 
thus ; 

4  And  I  do  declare,  that  no  foreign  Prince,  perfon, 
*  Prelate,  State,  or  Potentate,  hath,  or  ought  to 
4  have,  any  JurifdiCtion,  Power,  Superiority,  Pre-emi¬ 
nence,  or  Authority,  Ecclesiastical  or  Spiri- 
4  tual,  within  this  realm  :  i'o  help  me  God.’ 

Now,  is  not  the  conferring  of  orders,  an  aft  of  the 
high,  ft  Eccleliaftical  power  and  authority  ?  And  was 
not  this  man  a  Foreigner  ?  And  were  not  the  fteps  you 
took,  a  politive  acknowledgment  of  a  Foreign  Power 
and  Jurifdiftien  !  And  was  not  inch  acknowledgment 
a  breach  of  your  oath  ? 

It  matters  not,  whether  Erafmus  was  in  fact  an  3m- 
poftor,  or  a  genuine  Greek  Bilhop.  Unlefs  you  was 
very  infincere,  you  took  him  to  be  what  he  paft  for. 
If  you  did  not,  you  was  party  to  a  fraud.  Either  way, 
pretend  no  longer  to  love  the  church  of  England!  you, 
who  fo  lately  endeavoured  to  fet  up  Imperium  in  Impe¬ 
rii  !  If  you  are  honeft,  you  will  either  publicly  con- 
fefs  your  fault ;  or,  for  ever,  throw  aiide  your  gown 
and  cailock.  You  will  either  return  to  the  fervice  of  the 
church,  or  ceafe  to  wear  her  livery.— You  may  think, 
perhaps,  that  I  make  too  free,  in  expoftulating  with 

you 


C  i69  ] 

you fo  plainly.  And  yet  on  maturer  thought,  I  q 
tion,  whether  you  may  or  not.  How  can  Mr.  Weiley, 
who,  on  ail  occafions,  makes  fo  very  free  with  others ; 
be  angry  with  young  tranllators,  for  copying  (though 
at  humble  diflance)  fo  venerable  an  example  ?  Nor, 
indeed,  ought  a  perfon,  who,  beyond  even  what  truth 
and  decency  permit,  take  fo  great  liberties  with  the  telf 
of  his  contemporaries  ;  to  wonder,  it  fo  fur  as  decen¬ 
cy  and  truth  allow,  the  reft  of  contemporaries  take  as 
great  liberties  with  him. 

You  complain,  I  am  told,  that  the  evangelical  Cler¬ 
gy  are  leaving  no  hone  unturned  ‘  to  raife  John  Cal- 
1  vin’s  ghoft,  in  all  quarters  of  the  land.’  If  you 
think  the  dofhines  of  that  eminent  and  blelled  Re¬ 
former  to  be  formidable  as  a  ghofl ;  you  are  welcome 
to  do  all  you  can,  toward  laying  them.  Begin  your 
incantations,  as  foon  as  you  pleafe.  The  prefs  is  open: 
and  you  never  had  a  fairer  opportunity,  of  trying  your 
ftrength  upon  John  Calvin,  than  at  prefent.  Only, 
take  care,  that  you  do  not,  with  all  your  fkill  in  Theo¬ 
logical  magic,  get  yourfelf  into  a  circle,  out  of  which 
you  may  find  it  difficult  to  retreat— And  a  little  to 
mitigate  your  wrath  againll  the  raifers  of  Calvin’s 
ghofl;  ;  remember,  that  you  yourfelf  have  been  a  great 
ghoft-raifer,  in  your  time.  Who  raifed  the  ghofts  of 
John  Goodwin,  the  Arminian  regicide;  and  of  Thomas 
Grantham,  the  Arminian  Baptift  ?  who  raifed  a  ghofl: 
Of  Monlie  ur*  De  Renty,  the  French  Papift  ;  and  of 
P  many 

*  As  a  fpecimen  of  Mr.  Wefley’s  regard  to,  at 
leaft  the  minutiae  of  Popery,  I  fliall  feleci  a  few  paf- 
fages  from  his  life  of  this  Monfieur  De  Renty,  which 
now  lies  before  me.  The  reader  will  obferve,  that  the 
lentences,  inclos’d  with  inverted  commas,  are  Mr. 
Wefley’s  own  words. 

He  lpeaks  favourably  of  this  French  Papift,  for  his 
regularly  ‘  faying  the  Itinerarium  and  then  ‘  linging 
4  the  Litanies  of  our  Lord,’  before  he  let  out  on 
any  journey  ;  and  for  taking  due  care  to  ‘  fing  the 

‘  P$rrs\x 


[  i7°  3 

many  other  Romiih  Enthuliafts ;  by  translating  their 
lives  into  Englith  tor  the  edification  of  ProteftanS 
readers  ? 

Should 

•q .  m  .  .  .  =a- 

e  Fejpers ,’  while  he  was  upon  the  road,  Page  3. 
Among  the  infiances  of  Monfieur’s  humility,  arc 
reckoned  (Page  9  and  10.)  his  not  permitting  ‘  a. 

*  citfhion  to  be  carried  tor  him’  when  he  went  to- 
mats  ;  and  his  frequently  faying  ‘  his  prayers  at  the 

*  outfide  of  the  church.’  Allb  his  going  abroad,  to 

*  hit  a  Monafiery,  ‘  on.  foot’  and  that  too  ‘  in  thaw- 
1  ing  weather  :’  Nay,  he  would,  fometimes,  ‘  traverfe 
*■  in  a  manner  all  Paris,’  even  when  ‘  it  poured  down 

*  with  rain.’  And  yet,  with  all  this  mad  humility,  Mr. 

De  Renty,  it  teems,  kept  a  coach  of  his  own.  Had 
he  been  confident,  he  would  have  entirely  ihorn  him- 
ielf  of  this  fupernumerary  convenience^  by  laying 
down  his  carriage.  But  then,  where  would  have 
been  the  merit  of  lpontaneouily  traverfing  all  Paris  on 
foot  when  it  poured  down  with  rain  ?  His  dutiful  de¬ 
meanor  to  the  Prieft,  who  had  the  care  of  his  foul,  as 
its  Father-Confeffor,  is  a  feature  of  Mr.  De  Renty’s 
faintthip,  on  which  Mr.  Wefley,  with  peculiar  rapture, 
dwells  and  dilates.  Page  11,  *  A  further  proof  of 

*  his  humility,  was  his  carriage  to  his  director.  He 
c  did  nothing  that  concerned  himfelf,  without  his 

*  conduct.  To  him  he  propofed  whatever  he  deligned 
*■  either  by  fpeaking,  or  writing,  clearly  and  pundtual- 

*  ly ;  defiring  his  advice,  his  pleafure,  and  his  blef- 

*  ling  upon  it  ;  and  that,  with  the  utmcft  refpe'dl 

*  and  fubmiffion.  And,  without  reply,  or  difputing, 

*  he  fimply  and  exadth  followed  his  order.’  This  was 
good  Catholic  obedience  indeed  ?  and,  no  doubt,  Mr. 
Wei  ley  had  a  view,  in  propoling  fuch  an  example 
to  the  imitation  of  his  Protefiant  followers.  Under 
the  article  of  De  Renty’s  ‘  felf-denial  and  mortifica¬ 
tion,’  we  are  informed  (Page  14.)  that  ‘  he  made 
‘  but  one  meal  a  day  tor  feveral  years,’  and  ‘  al- 
‘  ways  of  the  worft’  provifions  he  could  meet  with. 
He  would  ‘  often  fiep  into  a  baker’s  (hop,’  and 

dine 


[  r-7'i  3 

"Should  yon  take  any  notice  ot  this  letter,  I  have 
three  requefts  to  make ;  or,  rather,  there  are  three 
particulars,  on  which  I  have  a  right  to  infill  : 

i.  Don’t 

■a-  ■-  .  - -S- 

dine  on  4  a  piece  ot  bread  and  a  draught  of  water.' 
From  the  fame  principle  of  gloomy  and  unthank¬ 
ful  fuperflition,  he  would  do  penance,  by  ‘  palling 
*  the  night  in  a  chair,’  or  lying  down  ‘  in  his  clothes 
‘.and  boots’  or  lleeping  ‘  on  a  bench  till  morning,8 
Being  at  Pontois,  ‘  in  winter,’  he  defied  ‘  the  Car- 
4  melite  Nuns  not  to  make  a  fire,  or  prepare  a  bed' 
for  him.  ‘  He  parted  with  fcveral  books,  (Page  16.) 
4  became’  they  were  ‘  richly  bound.’  Pie  4  ufed  no 
‘  gloves,  in  any  leafon ;  wore  no  clothes,  but  plain 
‘  and  clofe-made and  ‘  carried  no  iilver’  in  his 
pockets,  ‘  except  for  charity.’  After  which  detail  of 
a  u  fieri  ties.,  the  Biographer  gravely  adds,  4  I  have  l'ecii 
4  him  in  his  Coach,  with  a  Page  and  Footman.8 
His  coach,  I  prefume,  was  to  carry  him  on  foot, 
when  it  rained  ;  his  page  was  to  hold  up  his  clothes, 
which  were  plain  and  dole-made  ;  and  the  office 
of  the  footman  was  to  reach  him  his  cloves,  where¬ 
of  he  wore  none  in  any  feafon.  Who  could  ever 
have  furmifed,  that  fuch  a  doleful  feries  of  morti¬ 
fication  and  felf-denial,  would  end  in  the  fopperies 
of  a  coach,  a  page,  and  a  footmam  !  Mr.  De  Renty’s 
vanity,  which  mixed  itfelf  with  his  very  auflerities, 
reminds  me  of  what,  I  am  told,  is  common  in  the 
flreets  of  Paris  :  where  you  may  fee  many  a  blind, 
beggar  bawling  for  alms,  in  a  bag-wig,  his  hat 
under  his  arm,  a  wooden  fword  by  his  lide,  and 
paper  ruffles  adorning  the  hand  that  is  extended  to 
receive  charity.  But  to  return  to  the  hero  of  the 
tale.  Having  had  a  quarrel  with  his  mother,  and 
the  breach  being  made  up,  4  he  was  no  fooner  re- 
4  turned  home,  than  he  cauled  Te  Deum  to  be  fling,8 
Pape  24.  4  He  had  great  refpeft  to  holy  perfons  ; 

■*  elpeeially  to  Priests.  Whenever  he  met 
-*  them,  he  faluted  them  with  profound  humility.; 

4  and, 


t  17^  ] 

1.  Don’t  quote  unfairly* 

2.  Don’t  ani'wer  evalively. 

3.  Don’t  print  clandedinely, 


Canvafs 


‘  an-d,  in  his  travels,  would  alight  off  his  horfe 
*  to  do  it,’  Page  33.  Nor  does  JMr.  Wefley  omit 
to  inform  us.  Page  39,  of  Mr.  De  Renty’s  regard 
to  fueh  fugitive  Papids,  as  had  either  rendered 
themlelves  obnoxious  to  the  laws  at  home,  or  pre- 
t pried  beggmg  in  France,  to  living  under  an  here¬ 
tical  government  in  Great-Britain.  ‘  Fie  was  the  fird 
‘  that  motion’d  feme  relief  to  the  poor  Englifh 
driven,  by  Persecution,  out  of  their  owrn  coun- 
‘  try.’  Nor  mud  his  very  pilgrimages  be  overlook¬ 
ed.  ‘  Going,  one  day,  to  vilit  the  holy  place  of 
‘  Montmatre  ;  alter  his  prayers  faid  in  the  church, 
‘  he  retired  into  a  del'olate  part  of  the  mountain, 
‘  near  a  little  fpring.  There  he  kneeled  down  to 

‘  prayer:  and,  that  ended,  he  dined  on  a  piece 

4  of  bread  and  a  draught  of  water.’  Page  43.  Would 
it  not  have  been  dill  more  devout,  not  to  have 
dined  at  all  on  fuch  holy  ground  ?  4  One  day  he 
4  vifited  a  perfen,  who,  from  a  groundlefs  fufpicion, 
4  had  cruelly  ufed  his  wife.  Mr.  De  Renty  accoded 

4  him  with  fuch  foft  lannw^  ‘  .  . 

^  itc  wa»  periurd- 

co,  at  length,  to  go  to  confession,  which  he  had 
4  not  done  in  twelve  years  before.’  Page  47,  48. 

Kirnfelf,  fays  Mr.  Wefley,  fpeaking  of  Mr.  De 

Renty’s  lad  dinefs,  4  made  his  Confession,  aimed 
4  every  day  till  his  death.’  Page  6 2. 

I  difmifs  thefe,  and  many  other  paffages  in  this 
obnoxious  performance,  without  farther  remark.  Their 
tendency  is  felf-evident.  I  flail  only  add,  that, 
if  the  reader  has  a  defire  to  fee  dill  more  enormous 
indances  of  Romilh  fuperdition  and  fanaticifm  ;  he 
will  find  them  in  Mr.  Wedey’s  lives  of  dome  Spanifli 
Monks  (who,  more  nationally  grave,  did  not  imitate 
the  French  afcetic,  by  retaining  their  coaches,  pages, 
and  footmen)  in  the  lad  volume,  or  lad  but  one, 
of  his  compilation,  entitled,  The  ChrUHan  Library. 


C  l73  ] 

Canvafs  the  points  of  dodddne,  wherein  we  differ,  as 
ftricily  as  you  can.  They  will  Hand  the  tefd.  They 
fcorn  difguife.  They  difdain  to  fue  for  quarter. 
Truth  like  our  firft  parents  in  the  ftate  or  inno¬ 
cence,  can  fhew  herl’elf,  naked,  without  being  either 
afraid,  or  afhamed  :  “  And  he  that  doth  truth,  cometh 
“  to  the  light,  that  his  deeds  may  be  made  munifeft 
4‘  that  they  are  wrought  in  God.” 

May  you  at  laid,  begin  to  add  from  this  principle, 
and  no  longer  profditute  your  time  and  talents  to  the 
wiredrawing  of  chicanery,  and  the  circulation  of  error  ! 
I  am  not  infer.lible  of  your  parts  :  But,  alas !  what  is 
diftinguilhed  ability,  if  not  wedded  to  integrity  ?  No 
lels  juid,  than  ingenious,  is  the  remark  of  a  learned 
and  noble  writer :  ‘  The  riches  of  the  mind,  like  thofe 
‘  of  fortune,  may  be  employed  fo  perverfely,  as  to  be- 
‘  come  a  nuifance  and  pelt,  inldead  of  an  ornament 
‘4  and  fupport  to  fociety 


I  am, 


Yours,  &c„ 


AUGUSTUS  TOPLABY, 


?  Dialogues  of  the  Dead.  P.  297,  Edit,  176#, 


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